


Brotherly Love

by Writers_Muse



Series: Multi-Chapter Fics [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Agreste Brothers, Akuma Attack, Akuma Battle, Alya is all of us, Brothers AU, Confessions, Confused Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feligami, Felix Agreste is a little shit, Flustered Adrien Agreste, Frustrated Adrien Agreste, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hot Mess Chat Noir, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'll add more tags as appropriate, I'm literally the first to pair Felix and Kagami together, It's going to be a solid T, Jealous Adrien Agreste, Jealous Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Love Triangles, Marichat, Might update the rating later if need be, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, More like a love hexagon, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Oh My God the possibilities, Or Is It?, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Riposte, Sexually Frustrated Adrien Agreste, brotherly competition, fake dating au, felinette - Freeform, love square shenanigans, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-10-25 23:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_Muse/pseuds/Writers_Muse
Summary: Adrien is excited to reunite with his older brother, Felix, who has been away at boarding school for 4 years, and to introduce his closest family member to his friends.  But when Felix meets Marinette, Adrien starts to get all kinds of confused.  Felix can tell his brother has feelings for his black-haired friend, and resolves to bring the two together, but might end up confused himself.  After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New fic time! There are going to be some confusing feelings between Marinette and both Agreste boys. Join me for the fun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's excited for his brother Felix to arrive, but their first meeting isn't as momentous as he expected. Now, he has to learn how to understand his brother, and experiences a strange reaction to Felix's meeting his friends- or at least, meeting Marinette.

For the first time in years, Adrien Agreste was actually excited about something.

That’s not to say that he didn’t love his friends, or the fact he got to attend public school, or his time as Chat Noir- those things (especially the latter) made his life liveable, even enjoyable.

But outside of those moments, his existence was extremely lonely, isolated, and stifling.

Everywhere he went, he was expected to stand just so, and smile like this, and ooze perfection and carefree bliss.

Frankly, it made him sick to his stomach.

It didn’t help that, ever since his mother disappeared, at home, all he really had to keep him company (outside of a gluttonous, sarcastic kwami) was cold, empty silence.  When he wasn’t in lessons of some sort, his “free” time was usually spent alone in his cavernous bedroom, full of a myriad of every kind of entertaining pastime that existed for teenagers, with no one to share them with.  As a result, he had essentially mastered every video game, seen every movie, and read, in reality, hundreds if not thousands of books in multiple languages.

But finally- _finally_ , he was going to have someone to share these things with.  Because his brother, whom he hadn’t seen in _years_ , since he was sent away to a boarding school in another country before their mother disappeared, was finally coming home.

At 16, after 4 long years of eating cold dinners alone, he would have someone to talk to without having to make an appointment first, and who would actually talk back.

For weeks, nay, _months_ , Adrien hyped himself up, writing up multiple drafts of a list of all the things he wanted to do with Felix, discarded wads of rejected paper littering the floor of his room.  Plagg teased him incessantly, but the blond boy largely ignored him, plying him with Camembert when he got annoying, as was the kwami’s plan.

Finally, the day arrived, and Adrien scrambled energetically into the back of the limo, nervously bouncing his leg to keep the rest of him still as Nathalie watched him stoically from behind her tablet.

The limo pulled up to the station, and Gorilla emerged from the seat, making his way to the rear door of the vehicle and opening it for Nathalie and Adrien to disembark.  The younger man splayed his fingers out next to his legs in an attempt to stop their trembling.

Though he had received regular updates from his brother, and seen pictures of him, those emails were usually very formal, to-the-point, and he was sure the changes he recognized in Felix’s appearance was less dramatic on screen than in real life.

Felix always favored their father more in appearance.  Whereas Adrien got their mother’s eyes and hair, even the shape of her face, Felix was paler, his hair somewhat lighter, his eyes a grey-blue instead of meadow green.  And while Adrien was by no means short- having shot up past 182 centimeters in the last year (a fact which he lorded over Ladybug teasingly)- he knew Felix was even taller than him.

Nathalie and Adrien waited by the station’s entrance as Gorilla enquired at the ticket office.  The train was on time, and would arrive any moment. A shudder of anticipation went through the boy’s body.

When, just a few minutes later, a familiar blond figure emerged from the terminal, suitcases in hand, Adrien could barely contain his excitement.  He forced himself to stay in place as the boy- the _man_ made his way over to them, instead of running up to him and giving him a strong, unabashed hug.  Gorilla walked up to Felix and took his suitcases, and the two of them stepped closer.

As the older blond neared enough to see his face clearly, however, Adrien’s shit-eating grin faltered slightly, the expression on his brother’s face disappointingly unaffected.

“He- Hey, Felix,” he stammered nervously, awkwardly holding up a hand to wave lamely, then dropping it as though embarrassed.  “H- How was your t-trip?” Adrien swallowed.

The expression on Felix’s face barely twitched in response.

“It was as to be expected.  Long, uncomfortable, and dull.  Thank you for asking, Adrien.”

Adrien practically gaped at his brother’s emotionless response, wondering whether he could or should say anything in return, barely noticing as the passive man unceremoniously stepped around him and descended into the waiting limo, Nathalie just behind him, already reading off some sort of schedule to him.  Gorilla closed the trunk, suitcases tucked inside, and paused momentarily, looking silently at Adrien as he waited for him to take his seat inside.

Trying to compose himself and lift his heart back up from the soles of his shoes, Adrien embarked on the vehicle, sitting as close to the window as possible.  Purposely facing away from both Nathalie and Felix, he stared outside, thinking about the list he was carrying folded up in his pocket, and how it would find its home next to the others in his trash can as soon as he got home.

With the scenery of Paris passing him by, the disheartened boy surreptitiously wiped a few stray tears from his cheeks.

* * *

Morning broke, much to Felix’s dismay.  Though he was usually an early riser, the trip of the day before was tiring enough that when he arrived at the mansion, he promptly retired to his room and fell into a dreamless slumber for the rest of the evening and night.  Being an early riser, however, was not a habit so easily broken. As soon as the sun began to lift above the horizon, his eyes snapped open as though by reflex. Even worse- the timezone he was living in before was an hour earlier than Paris, so it was like he had lost an additional hour of sleep.

The one bright part of the previous day was seeing his brother after so long, but by the time he had made it to the car, he lacked the energy necessary to formulate a physical representation of his feelings.  Responding to Adrien’s greeting in the first place took every bit of willpower he had. It was a difficult thing, sometimes, being the way he was, as though emotional and social activity took more out of him than it did for other people.  He blamed it in part on taking after his father so strongly genetically, and in part on being raised to be composed at all times, which, in all honesty, was a trait taught to him by his father. Nature and nurture worked together in a terrible way, sometimes.

Seeing no use in dallying about, Felix rose out of bed and showered, getting dressed in essentially the same outfit he had been wearing for years: a pair of black slacks (Agreste brand, of course, and personally tailored for him), a neutral-colored button-up shirt with a black tie, and a dark grey vest.  His blond hair, somewhere between the sunny color of his brother and mother’s and the white-platinum shade of his father’s, was thin, but slightly long, curling around his ears and neck. Thankfully, it required very little maintenance other than washing.

Once he made his way down to the breakfast table, he found Nathalie standing close by, but back from the table, two plates of a bland meal set in front the two chairs on either side of the head.

“Good morning, Felix,” the stoic assistant greeted him without looking up.  “Your father has already started his work for the day and will take breakfast in his office.  Adrien should be down soon, if you wish to wait for him.” Then she started telling him of changes to his schedule before ceasing speaking all together.

Deep inside, Felix felt a slight twinge that his father did not even bother to greet him after so many years of only short, sporadic video calls, but quickly ignored it.  On the bright side, it was his first day back, and that meant he was being granted a day to settle in before his father’s expectations were set to begin. Taking a seat, he stared at the (chef-prepared, 5-star) gruel in front of him, no doubt as tasteless as it was healthy.  In no hurry to scarf it down, he waited, silent and passive as ever, until his he heard the slow, quiet trod of his brother approach, pausing slightly as they reached the doorway, then resuming and bringing the younger blond into view.

Adrien rounded the table to the opposite side as Felix, sitting down without a word, openly staring at him as if taking some sort of intangible measurement.  Felix stared back.

“Good morning,” he offered.  

Adrien hesitated, then replied: “Morning.”

Never skilled at awkward small talk, Felix pondered his next move before finally asking: “Was your rest satisfactory?”

Adrien practically balked.  He felt like he was playing an absurd game of Chess, and he didn’t know the rules.  Was there a strategy he should learn? After their reunion, he couldn’t conceive of why on Earth his brother would want to make meaningless small talk over a tense breakfast.  So, he responded in the only way he could.

“... _What_?”

Felix didn’t even blink.

“I was wondering if you slept well last night.  I myself slept quite well, though perhaps not for long enough.  I may take a nap later this afternoon or retire early this evening to recover from my tiredness.”

In his head, Adrien wondered if he wasn’t having the weirdest, most nerve-inducing, _mundane_ conversation in the history of humankind.

“Uhhh, ok?  I wish you luck?”

_What. The. Hell?_

Felix nodded once, seemingly satisfied, then looked down at his food.

“Right then.”  It was like he had accomplished some goal- a really, really, boring goal.  “Let us breakfast.”

Adrien picked up his fork and began mindlessly shoving food into his mouth, suddenly wondering whether he was sharing a meal with an Android instead of a brother.

* * *

For the rest of the morning, Adrien observed Felix uncomfortably from a distance.  There was something so clearly _off_ about him, but the confused teen just couldn’t put his finger on what that was.

For all intents and purposes, Felix _appeared_ normal, but his behavior was distinctly _odd_.  His face showed almost no emotion- ever- except for an occasional twitch of his mouth or eyebrows.  When he was amused, he almost looked constipated- definitely like he was in pain and trying to suppress it.

Felix was just... _awkward_ as hell.

Adrien felt kind of sorry for him.

Deep down, he began to wonder if he hadn’t misjudged him the day before.  While he had a clear memory of their time together as brothers, they really didn’t actually spend a whole lot of time _doing things together_ back then, and he did have a vague memory of Felix being strangely unemotional, even as young children.

Perhaps, then, he was emotionally stunted or something.  And socially. And personally.

The point was, Adrien was beginning to think he should give his brother another chance- a fair chance, without imposing any of his own expectations.  He wanted to discover what were Felix’s likes, his interests, the things that made him laugh- as weird, and croak-like as it was.

Felix was aware he was being watched, but none of his thoughts about this fact showed on his face.

First, he felt somewhat intrigued at being the subject of such intense curiosity.  But after a while, it lost its novelty. Adrien watched him when he thought Felix couldn’t see, but what he didn’t know was that Felix had excellent attentive awareness and acute eyesight so that he almost never missed anything in his periphery.

Felix was also sort of a genius, though he would never use that word.  He found it banal and arbitrary. He had an eidetic memory, and could recall nearly everything he had ever seen, heard, experienced, or read as far back as he could remember.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

He had learned long ago to hide it because it usually attracted negative attention.

And now, as Adrien attempted to study him from a distance without being noticed, Felix began to wonder if this was one of those moments when he was going to gain the attention of someone who viewed him more as a curiosity than a person.

At long last at the end of his proverbial patience, Felix raised his gaze to the viridian one studying him and spoke.

“Is there something I can help you with, Adrien?”

Adrien’s eyes immediately sought something else to focus on, flitting about indiscriminately as he tried to appear as though he _wasn’t_ just openly staring at his brother.

“What, uh, what do you mean?” he asked, clearing his throat nervously.

“I mean, you have been watching me off and on for the last two and a half hours, and I was wondering, if there is something that you need from me but are too afraid to ask?”

Adrien looked at his brother again, astonished that he had known about his inquisitive gaze for all along, eyes wide and a light blush on his cheeks.

It was then that he noticed a slight twitch of his brother’s lip, almost as though he was attempting to smirk.

Now, Adrien didn’t speak Felixese, but he was pretty sure that was a look of amusement.

Just like that, all of the tension in his body melted away, and he let out a relieved laugh, much to Felix’s confusion.

“Did I say something humorous, brother?”

Adrien tried to stem his guffaws, which were breathy and getting out of hand.

“No, no,” he half-coughed, half-laughed.  “No, it’s me. I’m just laughing at me and how ridiculous I’ve been.”

Felix didn’t answer, but looked at him questioningly.

“I just- I was all excited for you to get here yesterday, and then when you finally arrived, I was convinced you couldn’t care less about me, but now I see you’re ju-”  Then he cut himself off, not wanting to say any more, lest he accidentally hurt his brother’s feelings (if he had them).

Adrien detected a slight frown, almost indiscernible on the stoic man’s face.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding, Adrien.  I was tired from the journey, and lacked the energy to respond appropriately to your welcome.  If it pleases you to hear it, then know that I am very glad to see you again after so long.”

A face-splitting grin broke out on Adrien’s face, and before Felix knew what he was going to do, he rose out of his chair and wrapped his arms around the still-seated man, much to his surprise.

“I’m glad to see you, too, Fe.”

* * *

The rest of the day passed in relatively better comfort.  Adrien couldn’t remember having so much free time in a single day before, and he attributed it to the arrival of his brother.  It sounded terrible, but he suspected that his emotionally-stunted father was too busy to properly greet and spend time with his long-absent son, and was more than willing to let that role fall to Adrien instead.

After some slightly stilted conversation, Adrien learned that Felix preferred to read more than anything, but that he did enjoy some video games and anime, too.

He discovered that Felix twitched his lips when he was amused, his eyebrow when he was annoyed, and he actually _did_ have an opinion of Chat Noir and Ladybug, despite his lack of experience with akumas.

Part of him wondered what kind of Chat Noir his brother would have made- whether he would be as composed as he always was, or if the suit would provide Felix with an outlet much the way it had for himself.  Being the superhero was his freedom- did Felix have something similar?

Speaking of being Chat Noir- Adrien realized how much more difficult it was going to be now to keep his identity a secret.  He desperately wanted to have a close relationship with his brother, his blood, but he suspected that would be complicated by his need for a certain amount of distance and secrecy, especially with the two of them living in the same house.  It’s not like he could risk his brother just waltzing into his room whenever he felt like it, though he doubted he would- Felix was too governed by personal boundaries.

He hoped his friends would be accepting of him, and he had complete faith they would.  Nino, Alya, and Marinette were amazing people like that- though sometimes Marinette was a bit more difficult to read.  She occasionally clammed up around him, if significantly less than she did a few years before. Still, she was a good friend with a kind heart.  Being around her made him feel warm inside, the way it felt to sit by a fire after coming in from a cold winter day.

At the soonest opportunity, Adrien was going to introduce Felix to his friends.

* * *

Marinette bounced her knee nervously in her seat, curious as to what this “surprise” that Adrien mentioned could be.  Ever since they had arrived at school that morning, he had been filled with energy, smile practically never leaving his face, and receiving multiple reprimands from professors to stop fidgeting and pay more attention (though, really, it wasn’t like he wasn’t already ahead of everyone else in every subject, and the year was basically over, anyway).

Finally, the dismissal bell rang, and Marinette practically jumped out of her seat, though Adrien was still faster than her, quickly gathering his things and almost herding the three of them toward the front of the school.

“All right, all right, sunshine, just what is the big deal?” Alya laughed, having mercy on the nervous girl beside her.

“Yea, dude, you’ve been keeping us in the dark all day,” Nino added, equally amused.  “Just spit it out already!”

“Ok, ok,” Adrien responded excitedly, leading them down the steps toward his car where there was a tall, blonde male standing.

“So, you know how I told you I had a brother?”  Nino nodded as though he was waiting to hear the rest.  “Well..." and Adrien gestured a hand to the side, turning to face the blond man and finishing, “meet my brother, Felix.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped.  How did she not know Adrien had a brother?

Nino appeared shocked for a minute, then started to laugh.

“Holy shit, man, I see it!  He looks so much like you!” Holding out a hand, he greeted Felix.  “‘Sup, dude. I’m Nino.”

Felix shook his hand formally and nodded his head.  Adrien stepped closer to the two girls.

“Fe, this is Alya,” the red head held out her hand as well, smiling wide.

“Wow!  Adrien, you didn’t tell me you had a brother!  It’s so nice to meet you,” she espoused sincerely.  Adrien beamed.

“And this is Marinette,” he continued, glancing at the noirette with a fond look on his face.  Marinette blushed. Felix’s mouth twitched as he looked back and forth between then for a brief second.

After shaking Alya’s hand, he reached out to take the one Marinette offered, but instead of simply shaking it, he held it so that the back of her hand was exposed, then leaned down slightly and barely kissed her knuckles.

Adrien watched, struck mute, ears tipped red, as Marinette’s blush deepened.

Alya looked ready to burst in excitement as she watched the peculiar exchange, so Nino took her hand and held in a shout as she gripped it tightly, suppressing her guffaw.

“He- hello, Felix.  I’m really pleased to meet you,” Marinette greeted bashfully.

Felix’s lip twitched again.

“The pleasure is all mine, mademoiselle.”

* * *

“OH. MY. GOD. MARINETTE,” Alya finally exclaimed when they were in the privacy of her best friend’s bedroom.  “What. was. _That_?  Did you _see_ what just happened?  I swear, I think pretty soon you’re not going to have trouble getting _one_ Agreste son to fall in love with you, but deciding _which one_ to choose.”

Marinette’s blush, which still hadn’t disappeared since Adrien and Felix left in their chauffeured car, flared up even more intensely.

“ALYA!” she scolded.  “That’s not even close to true!  I just met his brother, and Adrien has never shown any interest in me, so I don’t know what you’re talking about there.”

“Girl,” her bespectacled friend retorted, eyes narrowing, “only a blind idiot would say Adrien doesn’t have any feelings for you- which, given, that oblivious cinnamon roll may very well be.  But everyone else can see the way he looks at you.”

Marinette shook her head, fighting her flaming cheeks.

“No, Alya, please, don’t do this.  You know I’ve already given up on Adrien.  I tried loving him from a distance, and that was a terrible idea.  I tried being his friend and hoping he would notice me, and that didn’t work out, either.  Besides, you and I both know he’s got this celebrity crush on Ladybug, and there’s no way I can compete with that.” 

“Ugh!” the redhead groaned in frustration.  “You’re ten times better than Ladybug!” Marinette looked at her skeptically.  “Ok, so, maybe that’s an overstatement, but you’re every bit just as good! And don’t you dare cross your arms at me, little lady.  You know it’s true! So what if you’re clumsy- it’s cute! I’ve seen Adrien give you goo-goo eyes on more than one occasion when he’s seen you trip, fall, or drop something, not to mention how many times he’s had to catch you to save you from breaking your own face.  And hey, if it’s working for you..." she let the sentence trail off, choosing to ignore Marinette’s rolling eyes. Then her face lit up as though she had an epiphany. “ _Maybe_ ,” she drawled, “he just needs you to put a little fire under his ass.”

Marinette looked at her dubiously.

“You _could_ make him a little jealous~” the reporter lilted, causing her friend to almost facepalm.

“Alya, that is the worst idea I have ever heard.  Allow me to point out the teensy, tiny, little obvious flaw in your master plan.”

Alya leveled her with a look.

“Enlighten Mama Alya with your wisdom, baby girl.”

Marinette returned her look.

“To make Adrien jealous, he would actually have to have feelings for me first.”

This time Alya rolled her eyes.

“Girl, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you-”

“I just, can’t do this anymore, Alya,” Marinette cut in quietly, silencing the girl in front of her.  Her eyes darted to the ground. “I can’t keep getting my hopes up only to have them crushed. I’m moving on.  It was never going to happen, and that’s ok. Adrien’s not interested in me, and he never will be.”

There was a light touch under her chin, gentle pressure raising her face until her bluebell eyes met hazel ones.

“Marinette,” she said softly, “the sad thing is that you _believe_ that because you don’t think you’re worth noticing.  And I’m telling you you’re _wrong_.”  Then she let go, standing up from her hunched position in front of the seated girl.  “Come on. I think that’s enough Agreste talk for today. Let’s get fat eating food that’s bad for us while sitting on our asses and watching terrible movies instead of doing homework.”

Marinette chuckled.

“So, the usual?”

* * *

Adrien couldn’t focus during his Chinese lessons, repeatedly making simple mistakes that his father would surely lecture him over if they made it into his tutor’s report.  When he was finally free from Chinese, and was supposed to be practicing piano, he instead connected his iPhone to the sound dock, playing Mozart’s piano concerto 21 to hide his lack of activity.

As the music played, he layed back on his bed, wondering about the odd feeling he experienced earlier when Felix met his friends- or rather, when he met _Marinette_.

It was odd, because he was excited for the two of them to meet- for all of them to meet.  And then there was that weird exchange when he saw his brother put on the biggest emotional display since he arrived, which- given- was only a couple of days, but still.  It was weird and out of character.

And he gave her a kiss on _the hand_ , which was _his thing_ \- his thing as Chat Noir, with his princess nonetheless.

Not that she was _actually_ his princess.

Ahem.

Where was this going again?

Adrien couldn’t remember what the point was, distracted by the uncomfortable burning in his chest and face when Felix kissed Marinette.

Her hand.

Whatever.

Same thing.

A kiss.

 _His princess_.

Ugh!

So lost in his thoughts was he, that Adrien didn’t even realize someone was at his door until they were walking in.  He flew out of bed in an instant, coming to stand as the color drained from his face in dread, very worried that his father had caught him faking his practice again.

Instead of his father, though, he saw Felix standing in the doorway, then quickly come inside the room and shut the door behind him.  Adrien let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in relief.

“I apologize for entering without permission, but you didn’t answer the door, and I knew you weren’t actually playing.  I’ve heard this exact rendition before.”

Adrien nodded slowly, processing the intrusion and the confession.  Felix’s mouth twitched.

“Something on your mind?” the older male finally ventured.

Adrien frowned.

“You could say that..." he trailed off, unsure how much to share.

“Something you want to share?” his brother prompted again, coming closer.  Adrien sighed, turning to sit back on his mattress and waiting for Felix to follow suit.

His brother sat toward the foot of the bed.

“What did you, uh... what did you think of my friends?  Did you like them?” Adrien avoided Felix’s gaze.

The older male watched his brother knowingly, wondering if he was even aware of what he was feeling.  The moment he saw Adrien look at Marinette and heard him utter her name, he knew his brother was at least deeply infatuated with the girl- and her flush told him that the feeling was mutual.  In truth, Felix found her quite pretty, and being the excellent observer of human character that he was (despite being less than expressive himself), he felt like it was his responsibility to bring the two of them together and make his brother happy.  So, causing him a little jealousy wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

Then again, he wasn’t really sure how self-aware his brother was.  He would have to play his cards carefully.

“It is difficult to formulate a judgment of someone’s character upon the initial meeting, but they appear to be friendly and genuine, if a little enthusiastic.”  He waited, observing his brother’s profile for signs of reaction. “Your friend Marinette seems special.” At this, Adrien’s upper body stiffened, his ears turning red and his hand clenching into a fist.  Felix watched him as he released a controlled breath.

“Yea.  S-she is.”

If he were more expressive, Felix would have rolled his eyes.  Maybe he would have to push a little further.

“You didn’t tell me she was so pretty.”  Adrien’s head whipped to face him, the rest of his face adopting the same tomato shade of his ears.

“What, uh- why do you care?”  The inflection was nonchalant, but it was heavily affected by an undertone of strain.  Felix weighed his response.

“I guess I do.  Perhaps you could tell me if she’s currently seeing anyone, or likely to being seeing anyone anytime soon?”  Adrien’s brows furrowed as though frustrated.

Finally, gaze falling to the floor, he muttered dejectedly, “No, I can’t.”

The older brother took this all in, fully convinced Adrien didn’t recognize his own feelings.  “And... does that matter to you?”

Green eyes met grey-blue.

“What do you mean?”

Felix sighed patiently.

“I mean, does it matter to you if Marinette starts dating anyone?  Would it bother you?”

Adrien remained silent, staring into the distance.  Felix plowed forward.

“Did it make you uncomfortable when you introduced us today?”

The sandy-blond swallowed, hesitating.  “... Maybe a little.”

Now they were getting somewhere.

“And why do you think that is?”

Adrien stood up, visibly frustrated as he started to pace at random about the room.

“I don’t know!  It was just weird, ok?  I don’t know what that was about.  I don’t have any feelings for Marinette that are anything but platonic.  Besides, I already like somebody else.”

Felix’s eyebrows raised.

“Oh?”

Adrien stopped pacing, toeing the floor with the tip of his shoe as he nodded, clearing his throat.  

“ _Uhlkdybog_ ,” he murmured unintelligibly.

“I apologize- I didn’t catch that.”

“I said I like Ladybug!” the boy burst out, frustrated.

_Oh, boy._

“But... isn’t she a superhero?  For all intents and purposes, a celebrity?”

“But-” Adrien let out a noise of exasperation “-it’s not like that!  I sort of know her. I’ve met her, I mean. She’s saved me a few times before.”

Felix’s expression was blank, but 48 hours in his company had lent Adrien some skill in interpreting his passiveness.  If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a miniscule narrowing of the pale blond’s eyes, a subtle furrowing of his eyebrows, an indiscernible thinning of his lips.

Internally, Felix was stumped.  Was he serious? Could his brother actually think he was in love with an anonymous superhero, someone he only met and talked to a handful of times, and was he seriously placing those feelings above the genuine ones he was so obviously repressing for his lovely friend and classmate?

Well, then.  Let no one say what he was about to do was undeserved.

“Right, then.  I guess that means it should be fine if I ask her on a date.”

From his position across the room, Felix could see Adrien’s jaw drop, nonsensical noises emitting from his mouth.  The older man stood, smoothing the wrinkles out of his slacks.

“Thanks, brother.  Good talk.”

And with a twitch of the lips, he sauntered out of the room like the cat that got the cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was the first chapter? I hope you liked it! Let me know in the comments :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wakes up a little... *frustrated* and struggles with his awakening feelings, confused as to when Marinette got so hot and what is this platonic attraction called??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited about the positive feedback the first chapter got! I hope this one is equally as fun and entertaining, and I'll try to keep doing quick updates, but between work and life, please don't expect daily posts. I have no idea now long this fic is going to be, or even exactly where it's going. Also, I make no promises about ships! I'm not even sure who's going to end up together in the end. I'm just going with the flow at the moment! Enjoy reading about a flustered Adrien Agreste!

Adrien tossed and turned in his bed into the early morning hours, unable to sleep.

There was no rational reason why, but he was really irritated with his brother.

But _why should_ he be?  Felix was interested in Marinette, and despite the fact that the thought made him want to gag or punch a wall, he should be _happy_ for him... her... them... right?  If Marinette was interested in Felix, too....

Well, he didn’t really want to think about that, and he couldn’t understand why, but finally came to accept that it was just the way it was.  When his alarm eventually went off, he slammed down a fed-up hand to silence it, resisting the urge to throw his phone across the room.

He made sure to turn the water on as hot as he could stand it, hoping the scalding temperature would wake up his brain and snap him out of this strange mood.

Needless to say, it didn’t work very well.

Well, it woke him up- that was for sure.  A little _too_ much.  Because his thoughts were flooded with visions of Marinette out on a _date_ , and she would being wearing something _flirty_ and _gorgeous_ , of course- probably that just-long-enough-to-not-be-too-short blue dress she finished recently, the one that brought out the intense color of her eyes, with the tiny white flowers and the plunging neckline-

 _Fuck_.

Good morning, little Adrien.

The frustrated blond let out a long groan.  “ _Not now_ ~”

“Hey!” a familiar nasal voice carried over the sound of the streaming water.  “Keep it PG, loverboy!”

Adrien didn’t even bother to look at what he grabbed before chucking it over the top of the glass door.  When he heard a yelp of surprise, he chuckled to himself, distracted only momentarily from his... _growing problem_.

Should he... should he wait for it to _go down_?

_No, wait!  Wrong choice of words!_

_...Goddammit_.

“Aww, fuck.”

With not a little bit of shame, Adrien got to work taking care of his not-so-little predicament, visions of a black-haired, blue-eyed beauty who was distinctly _not_ Ladybug invading his thoughts.

And if he cried out, “ _Marinette!_ ” as his efforts came to a close, he would never admit it, not even to himself.

Because he didn’t have feelings for his friend.

Who was _Just_ a Friend™.

He was just a hormonal teenage boy at the mercy of his bodily urges, and Marinette JustAFriend Dupain-Cheng happened to be pretty.

That was all that was going on.

And no one had to know.

* * *

Adrien maintained his denial with zealous commitment.  Marinette sauntered (well, at least from his point of view) into class that morning with a stroke-inducing sway to her hips that he had never noticed before.

And she was wearing a _skirt_ that _swished_ around her hips, dangerously high, just taunting him to reach out and run a hand up the side of her....

_NO!_

Adrien shook his head to dispel that train of thought, sitting up ramrod straight and staring forward at the board despite it being bare and no teacher being at the front yet.  He caught the sound of a light, chiming sound, suddenly realizing it was Marinette laughing at something Alya had said.

Almost reactively, a feeling of envy stirred within him.

_Why can’t I make her laugh like that?_

Instead of shaking his head again, Adrien let it fall forward to the desktop in front of him with a thump.

It hit harder than he intended, causing tears to prick his eyes.

“Oh my gosh, Adrien, are you ok?” a concerned, angelic voice came from above.

The exasperated blond let out a long, steady breath.

“Yep.  I’m good,” he responded, voice even but strained, refusing to raise his head as he lifted his hand instead to give her a lame thumbs-up gesture.

There was a deeper chuckle somewhere behind his sweet torturer.

“Jesus, Agreste, trying to ruin your pretty model face?  Or is our Mari just that devastatingly gorgeous?”

Marinette squeaked.

“ _Alya_!”  Adrien heard the snarky girl snicker.  “Oh my God, Alya, don’t be ridiculous- you are so embarrassing sometimes, I swear, you could be my mother.”

“That’s it, baby girl, talk dirty to me,” the redhead returned in a mock-sexy tone, followed by the sound of a smack.

“Ouch!  Alya!” Marinette complained, laughter brimming in her voice.

Adrien’s cheeks flamed.  Did she just... spank her?

 _Oh my God, why was that hot_?

The still-hiding boy was startled by a slap on his back as someone came to sit next to him.

He tried not to choke on his own spit.

“Hey, dude, what’re you doing?  Did you not get any sleep last night?”

“Something like that,” he murmured, hoping the dj didn’t pursue it any further.

Adrien kept himself hidden as long as he could until the teacher arrived and he was forced to sit up.

“Woah, man!” Nino exclaimed in surprise.  “You might end up with a bump on your forehead- it looks kind of bruised.”

From behind them, he heard a familiar snicker.

“Hey, Marinette-”

“Alya, don’t-”

“-didn’t you used to have that nurse’s costume?-”

“-Alya, I beg you-”

“-Maybe you could check out Adrien's head and kiss it better with all that schmexy Mari goodness.”

“-Alya!”

The sound Adrien let out was a cross between a groan and a whine as he felt a stirring south of the border.

Without any warning, he bolted out of his seat, barely catching a harumph and a “See what you did, Alya?!” before he lit out of the room like his pants were on fire (which they were, in a manner of speaking), almost forgetting to shout on his way out the door:

“ _INEEDTORESTROOMSOONBEBACKSORRY!_ ”

That... wasn’t even a proper sentence.

As soon as he entered the boy’s room, Adrien splashed some cold water on his face and he took a steadying breath.

Looking up at the mirror, he checked out the small lump on his forehead.  It would be gone in a couple of days, he decided, with some ice and a little cover up.

And for the second time that morning, Adrien realized he had a bit of a problem in his pants.

“Really?” he asked, question directed at his groin.  “You’re doing this right now?”

There was nothing to be helped about it, and rather than miss any class waiting for it to go down, and rather than take care of the... _pressing matter_ at school, he re-adjusted himself, tucking his semi into the waistband of his pants and adjusting his t-shirt so it covered the region before making his way back.

If his body wasn’t going to behave, he was just going to have to be careful what he did that day.

* * *

Being careful, it turned out, meant avoiding Marinette at all costs.

He felt bad.

He really did.

But every time he turned around, Marinette was doing something... _provocative_.

And it was worse because she wasn’t doing it _intentionally_.

It was _provocative_ , but it was _innocent_ , which made it _hot_ , and Adrien had a _problem_.

First, she was reaching for a book on a high shelf in the library, and he nearly had a view of the lower curve of her... _derriere_.  Muttering to himself and trying to think of the most unsexy things he could imagine- _Santa in a bikini- Gerard Depardieu naked- that time he had the flu and there was liquid coming out of every orifice of his body_ \- he fled.

Then she was eating something creamy at lunch- ice cream or yogurt or _something_ , but her full, pink lips were wrapped around the spoon, and her tongue was peeking out of the side of her mouth, and when some of the sweet dessert dripped onto her chest, she thoughtlessly looked down and swiped at it with her finger, bringing it to her mouth and sucking the substance off.

Adrien had never run faster in his life than he did to get out of that lunch room, ignoring all the confused calls after him.

Then they were in physical education class, and Marinette had to change into some shorts to participate, and they were so _short_ and _fitted_ and her body was so perfectly _curved_ and _firm_ , Adrien thought he might stop breathing.  And when she reached up to spike the volleyball, her shirt rose up on her stomach, exposing her midriff, and along with it, the most amazing set of toned abs he had ever seen.

Holy fuck, Marinette was _cut_.

Once he noticed her abs, Adrien couldn’t help but notice as well the lean strength of her legs and arms, how _nothing jiggled_ that didn’t naturally _jiggle_ , and those naturally-jiggling bits were his next problem because when she ran and jumped, things _bounced_ in a very perky and enticing way.

_Oh. my. Goooood.  Kill me._

Then there were the little, less (inadvertently) sexual things she did that caught his attention, like the way she sighed when she was lost in her thoughts, or the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and he swore his heart was about to beat out of his chest.  When she passed him by on her way to sit, he caught her scent- strawberries and vanilla, with a hint of floral- and it made him feel warm inside, like home.

And through it all, Adrien maintained his belief that they were _just friends_.  All this... _noticing_ was only a result of biology, and he would be damned if he let a little testosterone control him.

He just had to keep his distance until it passed.

* * *

Marinette couldn’t understand what was going on with Adrien.  He seemed fine the day before, but since the morning, had been acting weirdly around her, sometimes taking off as soon as she approached within a certain distance him.

It was confounding, but also a little disheartening.

Had she done something to offend him?

Alya tried to tell her it was a good thing, that it was a sign he was finally noticing her, but would that make him want to run away?  She couldn’t imagine why, or how.

The only explanation that she thought made sense was that he was avoiding her because she did something wrong, and it niggled at her all day.

When the day was over, she ventured with Alya outside, half-disappointed and half-relieved that Adrien was nowhere to be seen.

There was, however, a different Agreste blond at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the chauffeured car in a way that still managed to look formal.  Glancing around, she made sure Adrien was still somewhere out of sight, then cautiously approached the tall, slim man.

“H-hi, Felix.  It’s nice to see you again.”  Alya stayed mute by her side, choosing to only nod in greeting.  “I don’t know where Adrien is, but I think he might have an activity today, so if you’re here to pick him up, you might end up waiting a while.”

Felix’s expression didn’t really change, so Marinette decided to bow out.

“Well, I’ve got to get going.  Have a nice day,” she said, turning to walk away.

“Actually-”

Somewhat surprised, she turned back around, ignoring the smirk Alya was attempting (quite unsuccessfully) to suppress.

“-I’m glad I saw you.”

Marinette waited, expecting him to continue with an explanation as to why, but he didn’t.

“Oh,” she finally responded.  “That’s... ok?”

If she wasn’t mistaken, Felix’s lips twitched, and his eyes shifted up and over her shoulder.  She turned her head to follow his gaze, catching sight of the younger Agreste standing frozen mid-stride at the top of the steps.  Thinking he was hesitant to approach because of her presence, she spun around to say goodbye to Felix, but gasped when a single red rose dominated her vision.

Felix stood there, holding it out to her, face still passive, but somehow soft.

“For you,” he said simply.  Marinette reached out slowly to take it, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

“Th-thank you,” she murmured, unsure how to else to respond, giving him her best grateful smile, even if it was a bit awkward and forced.

The smallest of smiles greeted her in return.  Felix reached out and lifted her hand again, pressing the back of her knuckles lightly to his lips as he had the previous day before releasing it again.

“Have a good day, mademoiselle.  I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

Marinette nodded mutely, then pulled Alya along as she put one foot in front of the other, refusing to open her lips lest she lose control over her tongue and saying something stupid and loud.

When they finally rounded the corner, she let out a shuddering breath, finally voicing the question that had been bouncing frantically around her head at full volume for the past two minutes.

“What the hell just happened?”

Alya let out a high-pitched squeal.

“I _told_ you, Marinette!  Oh my God, this is the best thing that’s happened in forever!  I swear to God, Adrien looked like he wanted to eat his own heart out!”

“What?!?”

Alya rolled her eyes.

“Try to keep _up_ , Marinette.  Adrien saw the whole thing, and I thought his head was going to explode.  If I was a bettin’ man, I would say things with Adrien are going to get very interesting _very_ soon.”

“What are you talking about, Alya?  I think you’re hyperactive brain is finally reaching a breaking point.  It’s just a flower, and I bet Adrien couldn’t care less.”

“Oh, please, you can’t tell me you’re not at least a little excited about this.  Adrien’s having a _meltdown_ over you, Marinette, finally!  After all those years of you freaking out about everything from a sigh to a pat on the shoulder!”

“Well, I mean, it is kind of nice, but not for the reason you seem to think.  I would never want to make Adrien feel that way, and the fact he’s been avoiding me all day is kind of upsetting.”

“Wait, so... why is it nice, then?  Holy shit, are you _interested_ in Felix?!”

“Really?!   _That’s_ what you got out of that?  Not the part where I said I’m upset Adrien’s been acting weird around me all day?”

“Girl, slightly upset Marinette is, like, standard operating procedure.  But you being interested in someone _other_ than Adrien? His _brother_ , no less?  That’s, like, DEFCON level 0.”

“DEFCON?”

Alya waved dismissively.

“It’s an American thing, like highest national threat.   _Anyway_ , the point is, you might actually be interested in _Felix_?!”

Marinette groaned.

“Alya, it’s just a rose.  It’s not even the first one that’s ever been given to me- hardly a reason to start hearing wedding bells.”

“Girl, I am way _past_ wedding bells.  I am on to the honeymoon and the dozen pretty babies you two are going to be spending all your freaky-deaky free time making, but that’s not even the point-”

“Alya-”

“-the _point_ is, that all that baby making is supposed to happen with you and _Adrien_.  You know? The OTP of our _entire graduating class_?   _And_ your parents?”

“-oh my God, please, let it go!  We both know that’s never going to happen!”

Marinette came to a stop in front of the door leading upstairs to her apartment, grabbing the knob and giving her friend a deadpan look that brooked no argument.

But Alya was never one to be intimidated.  Instead of taking her friend’s obvious hint, she smirked.

“Not with that attitude, it isn’t.”

* * *

Adrien watched from the steps as Felix gave a rose to Marinette.

But... that was his thing, too.   _He_ gave Marinette a rose once upon a time, and suddenly he was wondering whatever happened to it.

And what was Felix even doing there anyway?  He knew Adrien had fencing after school- the whole reason Gorilla was there was to bring him his gear.

So, did he just tag along to see Marinette?

Adrien’s insides churned, and he unintentionally brushed roughly past his brother as he opened the car door to retrieve his bag.

“Good afternoon, Adrien,” the older blond offered.

“Yea.  Afternoon,” Adrien responded- a little bit bitterly, but he didn’t pay it much mind.  

Almost without saying goodbye, the irritated teen turned to head back inside, but paused when he heard: “I wish you luck in your fencing lesson.  Perhaps one day you and I will have a little match of our own.”

It didn’t sound like a challenge, but it certainly felt like one.

Not even trying to hide his ire, Adrien faced his brother, who was standing, calm and passive as ever, waiting expectantly.

“Aren’t you a little old for Marinette?”  Felix didn’t even blink at the abrupt shift in topic.

“I don’t know what you mean, brother.  Age of consent in this country is 15, and Marinette is 16.  Furthermore, I am only 18, so our age difference is not great at all.  Why do you ask?”

The younger man's face burned.  Age of consent, as in....

He didn’t even want to finish the thought.

“So, a match between you and me, you say?” he asked tersely, switching back to their previous, seemingly _completely unrelated_ topic.

“Indeed.”

Adrien thought a moment, contemplating the stakes.

“What do I get if I win?”

Felix’s lip twitched.

“The title of better man.”

Adrien’s jaw tightened, images of bluebell eyes and raven hair passing through his vision.  He reached out a hand.

“All right, brother.  Then may the better man win.”

* * *

Despite the direction of his thoughts, Adrien was not distracted the way he had been during his Chinese lesson the day before.

If anything, he was hyper-focused, defeating every opponent he fought against with unprecedented speed and precision.

He may or may not have pictured his brother behind every single one of their masks.

Sweat dripping down his face, Adrien guzzled his water as he finally came to sit on the bench, hunching over with his elbows on his knees.

A quick, light step that Adrien immediately recognized preceded a figure in red.  Kagami took a seat beside him, gloves and mask under one arm as she appraised him silently.

“That was some performance today, Agreste.”

Adrien let out a breathless laugh.

“Yea, thanks.”  He took another swig of water.

“Extra motivated today?” she inquired.

“Something like that,” he responded vaguely, lowering the bottle and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Should I be worried you’re going to surpass me?”

The blond male let out an amused guffaw, smirking confidently at his companion.

“That implies that I haven’t already.”

“Indeed,” she replied, smirking back at him mysteriously.  Adrien searched her face, recognizing her expression, but unable to place exactly what it meant.  Suddenly, Adrien had an idea.

“Hey, Kagami, are you free this weekend?”

She arched an intrigued eyebrow.

“Perhaps.  Planning to take me on another one-off date or something, Agreste?”

Adrien’s face was taken over by a shit-eating grin.

“Or something.”

* * *

Adrien strolled into the front doors of the mansion some time later, entirely pleased with himself, heading straight to his brother’s bedroom door.

After a knock and an interim moment, Felix opened the door, slightly surprised to see his younger brother looking so smug on the other side.

“Should I inquire as to why you appear so complacent, brother, or are you planning to tell me anyway?”

“I’ve got you a date this weekend,” Adrien answered plainly.

Both the older Agreste’s eyebrows shot up to nearly his hairline.  Adrien wanted to laugh at the severe reaction.

_That took him by surprise._

“That won’t be possible,” he responded, no explanation given.

“Well, I kind of already told the lady in question, so it’s going to be a bit difficult to back out now.  Don’t worry,” Adrien reassured his brother smugly, “Kagami is a very likeable, intelligent individual from a well-respected family.”  Then he slapped a hand on Felix’s shoulder, causing the pale blond to look down at it, eyebrow twitching. “You’ll get along great,” he finished, turning to saunter triumphantly away.

Felix’s voice followed.

“I’ve tried to tell you, Adrien.  That won’t be possible. I already have a date.”

Adrien stopped so suddenly, he almost tripped on his own feet.  Rotating slowly, eyes wide, he stuttered, “P- pardon?”

“I already have a date,” Felix repeated.  “If you had consulted with me beforehand, you would have known that I already made a plan with someone else and would not be free to honor the commitment you made on my behalf.”

Adrien’s thoughts raced, and he gulped.  “Wh- who did you ask?”

Felix’s lip tweaked so quickly he almost missed it.

“Come now, Adrien.  I know you must have better memory and skills of deduction than that.  I went to visit Marinette at her parent’s bakery today during your lesson and asked her to accompany me to dinner this weekend.”

He couldn’t be certain, but the younger brother was pretty sure his stomach had fallen through the floor.

He remained silent so long, Felix eventually stepped back from the doorway, reaching to close it.

“But- wait!”  Adrien called, putting a hand out to stop the door.  “What about Kagami?”

Felix appeared to think for a moment.

“Well, you made the arrangement without proper assurance, so you should be responsible for fulfilling the responsibility.”  Then he started to close the door again, but stopped, a thought coming to mind. “Perhaps you and Kagami can join Marinette and myself at some point during the evening.  What do people call that, a double date?” There was the twitch of his lip again. “Good evening, Adrien.”

Then the door really did shut, and Adrien could only stand in the hallway, dumbstruck.

Kagami was nice, and a true equal in more ways than one, but she was never someone he felt he could have any kind of romantic connection with.  She was too severe, too controlled, and while he didn’t doubt she could display a softer side, he doubted his ability to feel equal in a relationship with someone with almost as strong a personality as his father.

Adrien drew a hand down his face, trodding toward his bedroom with significantly less pep in his step than when he arrived, silently wondering just what the hell he was going to do.

* * *

Felix waited until Adrien was safely ensconced in his room before covertly departing from the mansion.

When his brother approached him with the information he had set him up on a date, Felix did the only thing he thought he could do to get out of it- pretend to have made a date with Marinette and sincerely hope that she backed him up with it when he told her what he did.

She seemed like a reasonable person.  She’d probably go along with it.

And if it gave him the opportunity to push his brother a little more toward the black-haired beauty, then that was an excellent side effect.

He walked briskly toward the bakery, hoping that Adrien didn’t call to vent to his dj friend and start off a chain reaction wherein Marinette was aware of what he had done before he had a chance to tell her himself.

When he arrived and walked inside, he was greeted by an extremely short Chinese woman with a disarmingly warm smile.

“Adrien, my dear, how are y- Oh!  I’m so sorry, sweetie, you look so much like my daughter’s friend.  How can I help you?” The radiant smile never left her face, not even when she mistakenly called him by the wrong name.

“That’s quite all right, madame.  Adrien is my brother, actually, so I understand the confusion.”

“Oh, my goodness, of course!  Marinette told us about you- look at you!” she nearly exclaimed, coming around the corner and reaching out to grab him by both his arms.  Felix tensed reflexively. “You bear such a strong resemblance, even if you are a bit taller and thinner. Well, that is something we are going to have to do something about.  Follow me, dear,” she instructed, grabbing one of his slim wrists in her hand and pulling him behind her as she made her way toward the back of the bakery. Felix followed, wide-eyed and confused as she led him to a tall stool, motioning for him to sit and placing a plate of various pastries in front of him.  “Eat,” she commanded, turning to leave before remembering that he had likely come into the bakery for a reason. “Oh! Did you need something else, sweetie?”

 _Can I stay here?_ he wondered silently, but instead only said, “Yes.  I was hoping to talk with Marinette. It’s a matter of some importance.”

“Oh, of course!” the small woman replied without hesitation, taking his arm once again, the plate in her other hand as she led him to the door leading upstairs.  “Now, she’s probably in her room on the top floor. Just go on up, but do knock before you go in. She can be absent-minded sometimes and might startle a little if you don’t.”  And without waiting for a response, the calming hurricane that was Sabine Dupain-Cheng disappeared back the way she came, leaving the plate in Felix’s open hand.

He looked somewhat apprehensively at the door to the apartment, feeling as though he might be intruding to just enter, but with no one around to open the door for him and with Madame Dupain-Cheng’s apparent blessing, he proceeded to pass through.

It was small, but comfortable and warm, much like Madame Dupain-Cheng.  Felix was beginning to feel more and more like he could stay here indefinitely.  Pushing on, he wandered until he found steps leading up higher, a trapdoor at the top of them, assuming this must be Marinette’s room.

He knocked when he reached the top, waiting patiently for someone to open the door, but was surprised to hear a voice within call, “Come in!”  Still slightly hesitant, Felix slowly raised the door and walked up the last few steps into the room, which he could only describe as a pink explosion.

It was pastel, bright and feminine, and felt just like Marinette.

He heard a squeak somewhere to his side.

“Oh!  I wasn’t expecting... you,” she stated awkwardly, hands fidgeting nervously.  “W- what are you doing here?” she asked, then seemed to shake her head. “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that to sound rude. But... what _are_ you doing here?”

Felix paused a moment.  “Your mother led me up.”  As though that explained everything.  Marinette nodded her head slowly, still not sure why he was in her bedroom.  “Can I... can we talk- for a moment- you and I?” he asked, more nervous in that moment than he ever remembered feeling.

Marinette led him to the chaise lounge, taking a seat in her desk chair instead and rolling it close until the two were seated opposite each other.  Silence reigned for a minute before Felix realized she was waiting for him to say something.

“Right!  Oh, right.  I have to explain something to you, but I’m going to ask that you keep an open mind and wait to ask questions or tell me to leave until I’ve come to the end.”  Marinette’s eyebrows were lost behind her bangs. Felix took a breath. “All right, then. First, please allow me to clarify that I am aware of your feelings for my brother.”  Marinette’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

“Whuh- wh- what?” she squeaked rather inarticulately.

“Yes.  It’s quite clear to anyone with functioning vision.  You blush and lose some level of composure in his presence, and the expressions on your face when he is near are quite telling.”

“B- but, you’ve only seen us together once- twice!”

“Then call me an excellent observer of human behavior.  Now, may we get back to the point?” Marinette nodded, nervously tucking her hands under her legs as she avoided Felix’s gaze.  “Right. So, as I was saying, I’m aware of your feelings for my brother, and I have reason to believe that your sentiments are reciprocated.”  Marinette looked ready to interject, but Felix put up a hand, and she clamped her mouth shut again. “Thank you,” he said, “Now, my brother has a very good heart, but he can often be blind to his own feelings, as is I think the case with you, so I’ve decided to take it upon myself to bring him happiness by uniting him with yourself.”  He paused, realizing how odd that sounded. “If you wish, that is,” he added.

“W- well, I can’t say I agree, or that I’m comfortable participating in any sort of scheme to get Adrien’s attention.  He hasn’t noticed me for 3 years, and I think that just means he doesn’t think of me that way.”

Felix sighed.  “That brings us to the real reason I am here.”  Marinette looked at him curiously. “You see, I have led Adrien to believe that I may be interested in you romantically so that he may become aware of his own feelings, and it has worked, to a point.  You see, to dissuade me from pursuing you, he apparently promised my time to another friend of his in a date, and to avoid fulfilling this commitment made without my knowledge, I may have told him that I already had a date.  With you.”

He waited the few seconds it took for understanding to dawn on Marinette, evidenced by the rounding of her eyes and the parting of her lips.

“ _What?!_ ” she shrieked.  Felix winced from the pitch.

“I have come here today to ask if you would be willing to accompany me on a date this weekend to support the lie I told my brother and to prevent me from having to honor the one he made dishonestly for me.”

Marinette gaped in silence, trying to formulate a thought in response to it, much less a verbal reply.

“I- I don’t know, Felix.  I don’t feel comfortable lying to Adrien.”

“You would not have to lie to Adrien.  If you agree, then we will go on an actual date this weekend, and we will spend time together doing something mutually enjoyable.  The only difference is when we made the plan, and my brother never has to know that detail.” The noirette chewed her lower lip, drawing Felix’s attention to it.

It was a full, lovely lip.

_What?_

“All right,” she finally consented, turning to give him a small smile.  Why did it make his heart jump? “I’ll help you out this one time. But Adrien can never know.  I don’t want him thinking I was trying to manipulate him into developing feelings for me or something.”

Felix’s lip twitched in his version of a smile.

“You have my word, my lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya is, like, my spirit animal.
> 
> If you're thinking that Adrien is being one Possessive Kitten, you'd be right ;)
> 
> Oh, look at that, I accidentally added in a fake dating AU (or is it fake?).
> 
> It's about to get super complicated up in this bitch! There are some interesting relationship pairings coming up, and they will all be equally confusing! Ahhh, I'm already excited about the endless possibilities! :))))))
> 
> Also, don't worry about Felix calling Marinette "my lady." I'm going with the head canon that Adrien and Felix learned their romantic behaviors from their dad, so they do similar things (hence the hand kiss), but she won't let him keep that nickname, in case anyone gets offended that Felix is stealing Chat's name for Ladybug.
> 
> Drop a line if you loved it, and even if you didn't, let me know why! I always strive to make my writing the best it can possibly be.
> 
> Comments keep me going (and might make me post faster :D)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has an epiphany, Felix does, too, and the Agreste boys go on a double date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we introduce some serious Marichat issues up in this bitch. And Felinette. And thoroughly hate on Adrigami because that pairing is just an abomination.
> 
> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I couldn't write it any other way. Believe me. I tried.

Adrien paced his room restlessly, having done all his homework and completed every project he could remember having, even though they weren’t due for weeks.  None of it was enough to distract him, though.

Felix had a date with Marinette.

And it felt like he Cataclysmed his own chest.

It had been hours since the talk with his brother, but the time did nothing to quell the storm brewing inside him.  He loved his brother. He was so happy to have him back. So why did a tiny, shame-inducing part of him wish that he hadn’t come home, or at least, that he hadn’t met his friends- well, that he hadn’t met _Marinette_?

Was he being a possessive asshole?  Was he being territorial?

Oh my God.  Was this because he was _Chat Noir_?  Was there some weird part of developing feline tendencies that caused him to feel protective of things that he thought belonged to him?

Not that Marinette belonged to him.

But it gave him a measure of relief to believe that these strange feelings weren’t entirely his fault.

He found Marinette physically attractive, objectively speaking, so it was natural that his body would react to her, even if his feelings for her were completely platonic.

He was Chat Noir, and that came with some tendencies that made him apt to become territorial of people who were important to him.

The thought was a soothing balm, and he felt so unburdened, he suddenly _needed_ to run.  Calling for his transformation, Chat Noir opened up a panel of window and leapt out into the night.

* * *

It started out as a romp over the rooftops, so how did he end up here- sitting on the roof of a building across from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, watching as Felix and Marinette stood on her balcony, leaning very close together on the railing and laughing like old friends.

Wait.  Felix was... _laughing_?  Like, real, honest to goodness _laughing_?  Adrien didn’t even realize he was capable of it until then.

He couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, but Marinette was slapping his arm playfully, and Felix was the closest to a grin that he had ever seen him- teeth exposed and everything.

Chat worked hard to quell the feelings cresting inside him, telling himself it was only his possessive tendencies, and he needed to calm down and let it be.  It occurred to him he was essentially spying by this point, but he suppressed that thought and decided to wait out the pair until they either went back inside or Felix left.

You know, for safety reasons.

* * *

Marinette couldn’t stop laughing at the stories Felix told her about his social awkwardness when he was in boarding school.  Apparently, no one really liked him (which made her kind of sad because he was a kind, pleasant person, if a little stiff at first), but there was a particular girl- he called her Bridgette- who developed an intense crush on him and obsessively followed him almost everywhere, never taking no for an answer.  He assured her Bridgette was harmless, if a little annoying sometimes.

“I do not exaggerate, my lady.  It was very inconvenient at times.”

Marinette’s chest tightened.   _My lady_.  That was Chat’s nickname for her- well, for her hero self, and she couldn’t let anyone else use it.

“Actually, Felix, someone kind of already calls me my lady.  Do you mind not using that nickname?”

Felix titled his head down to look at her, nodding in concession, lips quirked in a miniature smirk.  As she looked up at him, his eyes somehow twinkling with the city lights all around, she felt something rise up in her, and her breath caught in her throat.  The small smile on his face slowly transitioned into a more serious expression. His eyes traveled down to her lips, and as Felix began to lean toward her, Marinette found herself rising up on her toes to compensate for their height difference.  Their lips were almost touching when a sudden thump behind them caused them to jump apart and whirl around.

 _Holy shit_.  Her heart thudded, trying to beat a hole out of her chest.

Next to her, Felix seemed equally startled, running a trembling hand through his normally perfect hair, taking in the sight of one half of Paris’s superheroes with shock and awe.

“Chat,” Marinette panted breathlessly, “what’re you doing here?”

“Hey there, princess.”  His voice sounded tense, not carefree like the Chat she knew.  “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” He walked closer, looking back and forth between the two of them, his steps stiff, his shoulders tight.

“Uh, well, no, no- not really, I guess.”  She turned to Felix, hoping to prevent the situation from becoming any more awkward.  “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later?”

Felix half-bowed, lifting her hand again to kiss the back.  To Chat’s irritation, Marinette giggled.

“See you soon, my queen.”

From his vantage point, Chat could see a blush dusting Marinette’s cheeks, and he watched as Felix disappeared through the hatch, unprepared for the full force of Marinette spinning around on him.

“What the hell is going on, Chat?”

He almost took a step back in surprise.

“What do you mean?” he asked, feigning ignorance as he reached out to grab a hand and cover up Felix’s kiss with his own.

Marinette pulled her hand back before he could, not amused.

“Why on Earth are you showing up when there’s a civilian around?  Do you want to put yourself at risk? Put _me_ at risk?”

Chat’s ears flattened on his head.  He hadn’t thought of that- hadn’t thought at all.  He just saw Felix leaning in toward Marinette and the next thing he knew, he was up in the air on track to land right behind them.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t think.”

“What are you _doing_ here, Chat?  And don’t tell me you were just ‘in the area’ because that’s not going to work on me.”  Marinette stood, hands on her hips in a no-nonsense stance, so reminiscent of his partner he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

What _was_ he doing?

He was acting like a lunatic.

“I’m so sorry, princess.  I don’t know what I- I just- I just didn’t like seeing someone else moving in on my territory.”

Marinette’s eyes narrowed.  It took Chat 2 seconds too long to figure out _just what_ was wrong with that statement.  His pupils blew wide, hands out in a defensive gesture.

“No- I mean-”

“Are you kidding me right now, Chat?  You think I’m your _territory_?  What is this, some weird sort of possessiveness?  Why don’t you just piss all over me while you’re at it?!  Mark your claim on me and scare all the other tomcats off your _territory_?”

“That’s not what I meant.  It’s just- it’s weird, seeing you up here with someone else- it’s kind of like _our spot_ , and he’s giving you _my kisses_ , calling you pet names like _I do_.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Chat, I’m sorry, but you don’t own this spot, and you certainly don’t own me.  And what about Ladybug?” Marinette ignored how weird it felt to talk about herself in the third person, pretending it wasn’t even her.  “Aren’t you supposed to be in love with her? How can you justify what’s basically a fit of jealousy over someone else?”

Chat gaped, speechless.  Because it really was jealousy, and how had he not recognized that before?  He was _jealous_ , and it was because of _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ , not _Ladybug_.  In fact, come to think of it, he hadn’t really been thinking about his lady a whole lot in the last few days.

What was happening to him?

“Chat?”  Marinette’s voice broke into his thoughts, and the hero realized he was staring into space, mouth still hanging open in epiphany.  “Chat, are you ok?” She sounded concerned.

“I just... I didn’t realize.  I didn’t mean- I don’t-” Chat put both hands over his face, drawing them down and pulling at the skin not covered by his mask.  “I’m really sorry. I have to go.” He pulled out his baton, stepping toward the railing and launching off the balcony in one fluid movement.

“Chat, wait!”

But he didn’t wait.

He _couldn’t_ wait.

He couldn’t stop.

He was vaulting himself over the rooftops with a focus and intensity uncharacteristic of his nighttime escapades.

And as he collapsed onto his bed some unknown minutes later with no memory of the journey, dropping his transformation on the way down, he muttered to the empty room:

“Holy shit.  I have feelings for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

* * *

Felix couldn’t believe what he almost did.

Walking home, he could only thank the gods and every deity that ever existed that Chat Noir showed up when he did.

Because he almost kissed Marinette.

Like, _actually_ kissed her.  Not on the hand.  Not as a joke, or a ploy, or a pretend-kiss to rile up Adrien and make him face his goddamn feelings already.  In fact, no one was even around to see it, that he was aware of.

So what the hell did he just almost do?

She looked so ethereal in the glow of the moon and the city lights, her eyes shining iridescently, her hair reflecting hues of deep blue, the perfect pink of her soft-looking lips-

 _Oh my God_.

Felix let out an uncharacteristic groan as he walked along, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets to keep him from getting into any more trouble.

Because, apparently, he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

What the fuck was he thinking?

He didn’t like Marinette- right?  I mean, she was cute and all, but she was interested in _Adrien_ , and Adrien was interested in her, and Felix was a terrible person for seemingly trying to kiss his brother’s love interest while claiming to be helping them get together.

He could only imagine the way Adrien would react if he had been there-

Wait a minute.

What was _Chat Noir_ doing there in the first place?

From the way he and Marinette interacted, it was clear they were familiar with each other.

Was... was Chat Noir interested in Marinette, too?

He _did_ appear out of nowhere and stop them from kissing.

Almost like he had been watching them.

Felix released a humorless chuckle.  That would be just his fucking luck. Not only was he screwing up his own brother’s chance with this girl, but there was a _superhero_ \- a real, actual _superhero_ in the weird love triangle... square?   

Square.  Definitely square.

So Chat Noir liked Marinette, but Marinette liked Adrien, and Adrien liked Marinette, too, but Adrien also liked Ladybug.

Felix scoffed.  Great. The only way his luck could get worse was if Ladybug had a crush on Adrien.

Seriously, though.  What were the odds of _that_?

* * *

Adrien avoided Marinette as much as he could for the next few days, trying to come to terms with his sudden realization.

And it wasn’t easy.

At first, she would innocently try to talk to him, sitting next to him at lunch, trying to make small talk in the locker room, even asking him to work on an assignment with her during class.

But every time, Adrien found an excuse to run away, and it hurt.

It hurt him to stay away from her, and it hurt him to see how he was hurting her with his behavior.

What else could he do, though?  Felix liked her- they almost kissed, if he hadn’t literally leapt out of the sky and ruined it.

He had no claim on Marinette- not as Adrien, and not as Chat- and he would do best to let them alone.

He wanted to still be friends with her, but the thought of watching her with Felix while his feelings were so raw was too much.  He needed some time to heal a bit before attempting that.

 _Ugh_ , but there was that double date scheduled between him and Kagami, and Marinette and....

It didn’t fail to catch his notice that it wouldn’t be the first time he had been on an Adrien-Kagami-Marinette-OtherDude double date, and his mind wandered back to the day of Frozer.  Even then, Marinette was the person at the forefront of his mind. With a fond smile, Adrien remembered how she fell on the ice, and he rushed over to her side, practically abandoning Kagami even though Marinette was there with Luka.

Had he really been oblivious to his feelings for her for that long?

All those missed opportunities... if he had known sooner, maybe he would have done something about it.

Or maybe not.  Maybe Ladybug was always too big in his mind to ever consider anyone else.  The only reason he even went out with Kagami that time was to hopefully move on from Ladybug, and at the end of the date, he knew that wasn’t possible.

But Kagami wasn’t Marinette.

What might have been if he had asked Marinette instead?

Adrien sighed as he walked to his last class of the day, the last day of the week.

D-Day.

He couldn’t change the past, no matter how much he wanted to lament over it.  And if he didn’t pull himself together, he was never going to get through the night, either.

Kagami was surprisingly ok with the fact that Felix pulled out of their arranged date, and he was grateful, offering to spend the evening with her instead, since they were good friends and she already put the date into her schedule.

He knew he would never feel anything more for Kagami, but he hoped that seeing Marinette and Felix together would give him the kick in the ass he needed to accept them as a couple and move on.  In many ways, he was even grateful for the whole situation. It was the first time since he was 13 that he was genuinely interested in anyone other than Ladybug, and maybe that was just what he needed to finally get out there and meet someone new.  Ladybug was never going to return his feelings, anyway.

Or maybe Marinette was just that special.

Adrien cut off his own thoughts, taking his seat as he resolved to think positive.  He wouldn’t let her become “the one that got away.” There were plenty of other women in Paris- millions of them.  There had to be _someone_ else out there he could be happy with.

Right?

* * *

Evening rolled around, finding Adrien on his way to pick up Kagami.

Punctual as usual, the girl was ready and out the door within a minute of Adrien knocking.  Their greeting was familiar but detached per usual- an almost-kiss on both cheeks- before he led her to the waiting car.

Leaning his back against the seat, he gave her the best fake smile he could, hoping it would come off as warm and reassuring.

“I’m really sorry about my mistake, Kagami.  I’m just glad you didn’t hold it against me. I really should have checked with Felix before attempting to speak for him.  I hope you’ll forgive me and still have an enjoyable time tonight.” Another (fake) reassuring smile.

“That’s quite all right, Adrien.  I’m sure we can have an excellent time without your _brother_.  Don’t give it a second thought.”

Adrien mentally started, his face coloring slightly.

“Oh- that’s right.  I forgot to mention.  Felix suggested we spend a portion of the night with them in a double date, but I really should have checked with you first to see if that was ok.  Is it ok?”

Kagami’s perfectly composed smile fell momentarily, just barely, but Adrien noticed.  Whereas it was genuine before, it now appeared somewhat forced.

“Oh, so... you really did- oh.  So, Felix will really be there?”

Adrien hesitated, trying to figure out what Kagami wasn’t saying.

“If that’s ok with you.  I mean, there isn’t a reason we have to go with them if you don’t want to.  I can let him know we’ve decided on something else. He and Marinette will be fine-”

“Marinette will be there?” she cut in, somewhat sharply.

Adrien gulped.  Did he say something wrong?

“Um, yes?  She’s sort of Felix’s date.”  He didn’t mean to, but when he said the words, he couldn’t stop one of his hands from clenching slightly into a fist, the words themselves coming out through gritted teeth.  Kagami’s gaze fell to his hand, then rebounded back up to his face. With a look of determination flashing in her deep brown eyes, she reached out for his clenched hand and took it in her own.

“Well, then.  I’d love to join them.”

* * *

To say things were tense between Marinette and Kagami would be an understatement.

Not that either of them was unfriendly or impolite.

But Felix was relatively certain there was some invisible strain between the two, most likely the result of some sort of history they shared.

And he would bet his entire inheritance that history involved Adrien, who was blissfully ignorant of the whole thing, focused almost entirely on Marinette since the moment they walked through the restaurant door.

Felix and Marinette had an excellent first half of the date, with a special tour of the Palais Galliera right at 18:00 when it closed, then a walk through the park and a serendipitous sighting of Andre’s ice cream cart.  Not usually one to spoil dinner by eating dessert first, Felix still agreed to take a cone because he wasn’t sure if the self-proclaimed magician of love would still be there when dinner was over. Besides, he didn’t really feel comfortable eating supposed love-inducing ice cream on a first date when there was another couple present.

Not that he was planning on there being a second.

He was still fully invested in helping Adrien and Marinette realize that they belonged together.

So why did it hurt so much?  Even Marinette’s _cone_ suggested they were meant for each other.

_Peach pink for his lips and mint like his eyes._

How does one fight destiny?

As for his own cone, it had Felix completely stumped.

Very cherry for the base, blackberries for her hair?

He honestly had no idea who that was supposed to be.  Maybe it didn’t work on everyone.

Felix continued watching the girls, from the subtle clenching of Marinette’s hands, to the almost indiscernible narrowing of Kagami’s eyes whenever they caught each other’s gaze.

It didn’t take much to figure out Kagami was interested in Adrien.  Felix could see she had the type of assertive, dominant personality that fought forcefully for what she wanted, and at the moment, he could tell exactly who that was.

So, why did she agree to go on a date with him if she actually liked his brother?  Felix wasn’t entirely sure about that one, but at the moment, it didn’t matter. The more he suffered through the tension, the more he wished he never proposed the double date to begin with.  He had hoped it would be an opportunity for Adrien to recognize his feelings by tagging along, but in reality, it was just making things worse.

And honestly, it was bringing his date down.

So he did the only thing he could think of to escape the tension.

When a string quartet began performing a slow, beautiful song, he took Marinette’s hand and stood, bending at the waist beside her as he held her knuckled to his lips.

“Shall we, my queen?”  Through the corner of his eye, he saw Adrien flush, causing his lip to twitch.

The girl blushed, nodding shyly and rising up.  Felix led her to the terrace, bringing a hand behind her back and holding the other one in his palm as he began to lead her in a slow waltz.

The location was strategic.  Through the windows of the doors leading out, he could see the pair still inside.  Adrien was both trying to see and trying to appear as though he wasn’t. The top of Marinette’s head barely brushed Felix’s chin, so great was the difference in their heights, and he wished he could brush her cheek with his own.

It felt nice to hold her, so nice he almost forgot why he brought her out here in the first place.

“Thank you,” a voice whispered into his throat, and he swallowed, overcome by the sensation of her breath on his skin.  Tilting his head down, Felix looked into her shining eyes.

“What for?” he asked with a small smile.  The look she gave him in return made his heart skip a beat.

 _She’s not mine_.

“For everything.  For this evening. For being such a wonderful person to spend time with.  For saving me from that.” A smirk played at her lips, taunting him.

“What kind of man would I be if I didn’t do everything I could to make my queen happy?”  Marinette beamed, and Felix gulped nervously. “Adrien is truly lucky to have you.” Hearing his words, her smile faltered, and she broke his gaze, looking instead at his chest.

“Wh- what do you mean?  He has Kagami.”

“He’s here _with_ Kagami.  But I have been observing him all night, and I can tell that in his heart, he is really here for _you_.”

Marinette shook her head, sniffling.

“You can’t know that.”  It came out as a whisper, and it broke Felix’s heart.  Cupping her chin with the crook of his finger, he lifted her face to look into her suspiciously wet eyes.

“I know he’s watching us right now, and has been all night.  I know I’ve only known you for a few days, and already I can see exactly why Adrien loves you.”  He paused, eyes flickering down to her lips. “I know I want with all of my being for you to be happy, and I still can’t help wishing that you were mine.”

Marinette swallowed, lips parting as she drank in his every word.

“Marinette-” he whispered, leaning down.  “He’ll never know what he has in you unless he’s afraid to lose it.  But never doubt this is as much for me as it is for him.” And with that final sentence, he finished closing the distance between them, choosing to only lightly brush his lips against hers despite his desire to crash them together.

She felt so wonderful in his arms.

And as he pulled back, he couldn’t help but think that they felt slightly empty without the full weight of her body against him.

Surreptitiously glancing back through the doors, he could see Adrien, red in the face, staring into space as Kagami continued speaking and observing him in a measured, calculating way.

Feeling like he wasn’t sure if he did more harm than good by kissing her (and unable to regret it either way), Felix led Marinette back indoors as the song closed, pulling out her chair as she resumed her seat.

* * *

Adrien was trying very hard to keep his dinner inside his stomach.

The first half of the dinner went relatively well with Kagami, and he was able to maintain a semblance of interaction despite being distracted by Felix and Marinette’s fluid repartee.  Felix was being playful with the girl, making her giggle and tease him back, and it made Adrien want to crush his own head with his hands.

It took all of his willpower to pay attention to the conversation with Kagami, to what she was saying and to form an appropriate response.

When Felix and Marinette moved to the terrace, however, his ability to concentrate took a nosedive.  On a couple of occasions, she reprimanded him for not listening, eventually asking Adrien if it would be better to end the date then.

He was overcome with guilt.  Kagami was his friend, and he was being incredibly obtuse by essentially ignoring her.  They were _good_ friends, so why did it feel like such a chore to shower her with attention just because Marinette was around?

Adrien decided to be more courteous to his friend, but chose the wrong moment to glance outdoors again, just as Felix was caressing the side of her cheek.  It was impossible for him to look away after that, and he watched helplessly as his brother leaned down and kissed Marinette.

He could swear his heart stopped, if it weren’t for the entire volume of blood in his body rushing to his face.  The brief interlude between that moment and the moment Felix and Marinette returned to the table, was radio static in his head, and he fell into a trance as he watched the tablecloth intently.  Suddenly he was aware that his brother was speaking to them.

“I hope we didn’t keep you two waiting too long,” Felix expressed, voice somewhat trembling, most likely from excitement and adrenaline.

 _Don’t vomit_.

Adrien cleared his throat, not raising his vision from the table in front of him.

“Oh c- of course not.  Kagami and I were just remarking on how well s- suited you two seem for each other.”

Felix turned to Marinette, giving her a soft smile.

“It’s all Marinette.  I bet _anyone_ couldn’t help but fall for her.”  Unable to help himself, Adrien looked up just in time to catch the tomato shade that took over her cheeks.

It made him feel warm and cold at the same time.  She raised her eyes, meeting his, and gasped at the intensity in them, causing Adrien to avert his gaze.

The server arrived at that moment, depositing their tickets on the table, something Adrien was immensely grateful for.

“Thank you both for a wonderful evening,” he said, placing a few hundred Euros on the table and rising, pulling out Kagami’s chair so she could do the same.

“Delighted to meet you, Felix,” the cool woman offered, her tone belying the words, then shifted her gaze to Marinette and gave a slight nod.  “Marinette. Always nice to see you.” Marinette returned her nod tersely, and Adrien and Kagami made their way out of the building, emerging into the fresh evening air.

The ride back to Kagami’s home was mostly silent, and Adrien was thankful.  He needed time to process... everything. When they finally arrived, he stepped out of the car to walk Kagami to the door, placing a friendly kiss on one of her cheeks.

“Thank you for this evening.  I always enjoy spending time with you.”  He hoped it sounded sincere.

Kagami looked at him for a moment.

“You really did try to set me up with your brother, didn’t you?  It wasn’t just a ruse to spend time with me? Not that you ever needed one.”

Adrien’s expression was bewildered.

“What?  No, of course not.  Why would I lie to you?  You’re my friend, Kagami.”

The woman in front of him sighed.

“And what about Marinette?  Is she just your friend?”

He had never seen a deer in the headlights, but Adrien imagined that was exactly what he looked like then.  Unconsciously, he raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

“S- she’s just a f- friend.”  He chuckled awkwardly.

Kagami hummed in response, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

“We both know that’s not true, Agreste.  You’ve always liked her, but it’s never worked out.  Call me when you come to your senses.” And with that, she turned around and went inside.

Adrien stood there for some minutes, gaping, before he finally, slowly, made his way back to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how did you feel about this chapter? Feel free to give love or vent about things you don't agree with- I'm always happy to debate the merits of a character. Also, work on this fic is going slower than A Year in a Day because I have less of a clear idea of its direction at the moment (no predetermined plot line), and I'm quite busy with work and other personal life stuff, so please be patient with me. I'll do the best I can to make this story as interesting, believable, and enjoyable as possible. Thanks for reading! I appreciate the support :)
> 
> Side note: I made Felix's nickname for Marinette "queen" as a nod to his role as Chat Noir in PV. Female cats are called queens.
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions, love it, hate it?
> 
> Also, if you haven't checked out my one-shot "Some Consequence Yet Hanging in the Stars," give it a read! It's an AU idea I've been considering for a multi-chapter fic after this one's done. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading it! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Felix have a bonding moment that is very different from what Adrien was hoping for.  
> Marinette, Adrien, and Felix each deal separately with the confusing feelings between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I can't believe this only chapter 4! It was a doozy to write, but I'm relatively satisfied with it (more than the last one). 
> 
> Also known as the one in which Felinette experiences a significant road bump, Adrien comes to terms with his feelings, and Marichat makes another appearance. Let's do this!

“So, how was your threeway?”  

Marinette rather ungraciously sprayed the tea she had just sipped all over her desktop.

“Alya!” she objected into the speaker of her phone.  “Could you stop being so... _you_ for five minutes, please?!  I just spit tea everywhere!”

There was the sound of a chuckle on the other end of the line.

“That sounds like a personal problem, babe.  But that’s not the one I want to hear about. So, can you please get to the point and answer my question?  How was your date with both Agreste boys?”

Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend, trying to wipe the spray off her computer screen.  Thank God she didn’t put any sweetener.

“You know damn well it was just with the one.  Adrien was there with Kagami.”

“Ugh,” her friend replied, and Marinette could practically see her nose wrinkling in disgust.  “Don’t remind me. I prefer my fantasy.”

The girl couldn’t help but snort in response.  “Just what kind of fantasies have you been having, Mademoiselle Cesaire?”

“Nothing quite so scandalous as _your_ fantasies, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette’s mouth tweaked in concession.  “Touché.” Alya chortled knowingly.

“So.  Has my innocent little virgin graduated to fantasies involving anyone _other_ than Adrien Agreste?  Perhaps, more than _one_ Agreste?”

“Alya~” her friend whined, her face burning.  “Stoooop. That’s weird and disturbing on so many levels.”

Alya’s unique cackle traveled through the phone loud enough for Marinette to pull it away from her ear until she quieted down.

“Alya, you’re hopeless.”

“Oh, _I’m_ hopeless, am I?  You could have gotten it over with and done the deed with so many guys by now.  It’s actually ridiculous how many boys throw themselves at your feet, but you keep holding out for the Sun God’s child.”

“Um, _rude_.  I’m not ‘holding out’- I just haven’t met anyone I actually want to do that with.  And aren’t you the one always telling me that we’re your One True Pairing? How can you try to ship me with other people and then say I’m meant to be with Adrien at the same time?”

“Girl, those two are not the same thing, and you know it.  All I’m saying is, you could have gotten a little experience under your belt, if you know what I’m saying.”  Then she let out a laugh. “Holy shit, I just made a pun! Under your belt, do you get it?!” Marinette rolled her eyes.  It was enough to deal with _Chat’s_ puns, and now this?  God help her. Alya was still laughing, trying to speak through her guffaws.  “Oh my God, Adrien would be so proud of me!”

Marinette’s nose scrunched in confusion.  “Adrien?”

Alya didn’t even acknowledge her insinuated question.  “OH MY GOD! I just had a vision of Adrien making puns during sex!”  If her laughter was loud before, it was hysterical now, and Marinette sat in utter bewilderment-slash-embarrassment, wondering what the hell she was talking about.  “Just picture this, Marinette! So, you’re handcuffed to the bed....” She stopped talking for a second, unable to go on, then calmed herself down slightly. “And Adrien’s on top..."  (Marinette wondered if her face would actually catch on fire) “... and suddenly he stops whatever he’s doing, looks you in the eyes and says....” And there she broke off, unable to continue for a few moments before finally gaining some control over herself.  Through her cackles, she managed to get out (in a terrible imitation of Adrien’s voice) “ _Marinette... you’re... under... Agreste._ ”

That was all it took for Alya to dissolve into an epileptic fit of laughter.

“I’m glad to see my mortification is your entertainment.  I’ll never be able to look Adrien in the eye now... or say his last name.”  Alya’s boisterous chortling mellowed out into a snicker.

“Oh, come on, now.  You’re too easy, Marinette.  You just make it so easy.”

“Yea, yea.  Why am I talking to you again?  I can’t believe I put up with this.”

“Ok, ok.  I’ll let you talk now.  Tell Mama Alya all about it, baby girl.”

The embarrassed girl sighed again, debating what she should share and what she should keep to herself.

“It went really well, actually,” she began cautiously, slowly.  “We took a private tour at the Palais Galliera, then got some ice cream, and we had dinner with Adrien and Kagami.”

“That’s it?  Nothing juicy happened?”

Marinette paused, considering.

“Well, I did have an... interesting conversation with Felix.”

“Ooh, do tell~”

“Alya,” she began in a no-nonsense tone, “what I tell you now stays between us, is that understood?  You can’t use anything I say against anyone else or try to punish them for it.”

“Hmm... I’m intrigued but I make no promises.”

“Alya, it’s non-negotiable.  I need your word, or no story.”

The girl on the other line sighed resignedly.  “Fiiiine. Just tell me already.”

“Ok.  Well, I guess I should tell you how this whole date happened in the first place.”

“... I’m listening.”

“Ok, so, remember how Felix came to my house the other night and asked me?”

“Mmmmhmmmmm,” the redhead confirmed in a long, drawn out hum.

“Well, I may not have told you everything about that.”

“... What do you mean you didn’t tell me everything?”  Marinette tensed up at the dangerous tone in Alya’s voice, measuring her next words.

“So, here’s the thing: Felix really did show up and ask me on a date... but he had some motivations in addition to just spending time with me.”

Metaphorical crickets creaked.

“So,” Marinette continued, “it turns out he has this ridiculous notion that Adrien secretly, or at least unconsciously likes me, and he was baiting him to make him jealous by showing me attention.  And then Adrien tried to set him up on a date with Kagami, so Felix lied and said he already had a date with me, when it wasn’t true... yet. He asked me after, full disclosure, and I agreed.”

“ _What?!_ ”

“Alya, please, I’m not finished.”

“Ooh, girl, this better be good, because I can think of a couple of Agreste boys who I’m looking to skin very soon.”

“Hey!  You can’t do that!  You already promised.”

“Girl, promises schmomises.  This is grounds for castration, but I’ll take your concern under advisement, now continue.”

“Ugh, ok.  So I agreed, and we hung out for a while.  I took him up on my balcony to talk, and... there might have been an almost-kiss.”

“What?!”  Marinette practically spasmed as she pulled her phone away from her ear.  “You’re just telling me this _now_?!  And what do you mean ‘almost kiss?’”

“We... might have been interrupted.”

The sound of Alya laughing again carried through the earpiece.

“Ha. Ha.  Laugh it up, Alya.”

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” she said through her chuckles, “ _I’m just imagining your maman popping up through the trapdoor when you’re practically lip to lip with someone._ ”

“What’re you talking about?  It wasn’t my mother.”

 _Oops_.

“Well, if it wasn’t your mother, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, then who was it?”

“Uhhhhh....”

“Girl, you better tell me, you already kept it from me this long.”

Marinette grimaced as she answered, “Chat Noir?”

“ _What?!_ ”

“Just... please don’t ask.  I can only deal with one horribly complicated scenario at a time.”

“Mmmm, child, you can bet that I’m only putting a pin in this whole ‘Chat Noir happened to show up on my rooftop’ thing for _now_ , ‘cause I know damn well this was not some random occurrence.  There’s no way a superhero just _happened_ to show up on your balcony, and mark my words, you _will_ tell me about every time it’s ever happened.”

“Fine, just, one thing at a time.  So Chat showed up and Felix left.”

“Oh, we call him ‘Chat’ now, do we?”

“Alya, I already said, not right now.”

“ _Fine_.”

“Then on the date, things were going really well with us.  I was actually having a really good time, and then Adrien and the Ice Queen showed up.  And you know how uncomfortable I am around Kagami- it was so ridiculously awkward after that.”

“Marinette, Kagami’s oddness is well-established.  I don’t see how this is noteworthy.”

“Hold on, I’m getting there.  So, the only person who didn’t seem to feel the tension was Adrien-”

Alya snorted.

“- _anyway_ , was Adrien, so Felix took me to dance close to the quartet-”

“Ooh, _fancy~_ ”

“- andthenhereallydidkissme.”

“... I’m sorry, could you repeat that again?  It sounded like you said Felix kissed you, but you said it so fast, I couldn’t be sure.”

Marinette rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.

“And then Felix really did kiss me.  But it was just a... it was short and soft and completely innocent, and he said it was to make Adrien realize what he was missing... mostly... sort of... maybe... also for himself.”

“Holy shit, Marinette... Do you think Felix has real feelings for you?"

“I... don’t know.”

“Marinette, I’m going to ask you a question, and I expect you to be completely honest with me: do you really like Felix?”

“ _Alya_ ,” the girl whimpered, “ _I think I do_.”

* * *

The sun had already gone down, and its last rays of light had long disappeared, leaving the room shrouded in darkness, except for the lights of the city.  Still, Adrien did not get up.

Contrary to Felix’s accusation, he was _not_ brooding.

That was a Felix thing.

Totally not an Adrien thing.

Brooding and thinking _weren’t_ the same.

Ok, so maybe he was a little being a little sulky (Nino called them his emo moments), but it was just the process he was going through to move past his feelings.

He was ready to move on from Ladybug, and he was ready to move on from Marinette.

He just needed an evening to get out all the angst about it.

Part of him also felt guilty for the way he treated Kagami on their date.  He wasn’t a very good friend, and he needed to make it up to her somehow.

Plagg was snoring in his trash can, and Adrien finally decided to get up for the first time in a couple of hours, stomach protesting the length of time he had gone without eating.

Slowly, he ambled toward the kitchen, seeking one of his diet-approved snacks, which really didn’t do much to curb his hunger, but were still better than nothing.

To be honest, he could really go for a croissant right then...

_No.  Not right now._

As he drew closer to the kitchen, he saw a glow emanating into the hallway.  The refrigerator must have been left open.

When he turned the corner, however, there was a body on the other side of the refrigerator door, peering at its contents in search of a late-night snack.

 _Felix_.

Guilt settled into Adrien’s stomach.  He was so happy when Felix came home, but ever since the whole thing with Marinette, he had been keeping his distance from his older brother.  Perhaps Kagami wasn’t the only person he had wronged.

“Hey, Fe,” the sunny blond greeted somewhat reservedly.

The man in front of him turned in mild surprise.

“Adrien.  What are you doing here?  Is it safe to leave your room now that the sun has gone down?”

The younger man gave his brother a deadpan look.

“Ha. Ha.  You’re sense of humor is titillating, Felix.  Yes, I’m a vampire, a brooding vampire, and I’m _hungry_.”  The pale blond’s lip twitched.

“Your mood appears to have improved.”

Adrien fought a rueful smirk.

“No.  I’m just really good at pretending.”

Felix’s expression appeared to soften some as he finally selected some fruit and crackers, then closed the door.

“Tell you what.  Grab some peanut butter and a knife and meet me in my room,” he instructed, then padded out of the room.  Somewhat confused, Adrien did as he was told, grabbing his requested items and following in Felix’s wake.

When he arrived at his door, he remembered the last time he had stood there, trying to force Felix to go on a date he didn’t ask for with someone he didn’t know- in the name of jealousy.

Yea, he may owe both those individuals an apology.

He knocked lightly, then entered after he heard Felix call to him from within.

“So, what’re we doing?” he asked, trying to settle his nerves.  His brother wasn’t one to hold grudges, but he didn’t really feel ready to accept any ire that might end up directed at him.

The room was much smaller than his own, and Adrien found himself a little envious.  The grandeur of his own bedroom often left him feeling lonely and isolated, the vast emptiness of the space, the coldness emitting from the hardness of nearly every surface.  It some ways, it was more like a prison.

He set the jar and knife down on the table by the fruits Felix picked, taking a seat on the couch beside him.

“What’s the plan?”

Felix didn’t even look his way, eyes focused on the enormous television screen in front of them as he browsed through an extensive movie selection.

“We are going to eat snacks and watch anime.  And maybe talk a little.”

Adrien nodded, feeling slightly nervous, but also excited.  This was what he had dreamed of when he knew his brother was coming home.  If he played his cards right, they could end up bonding.

“Right.  Ok.” He started in on the snacks, nibbling as Felix chose a title- Fullmetal Alchemist, that was a classic.  They watched for a few minutes in silence, the only sounds being those of their munching. Finally, Felix spoke up.

“So.  How are things going with you and Kagami?”

Adrien swallowed, despite not having fully chewed the food in his mouth.  Ouch. That hurt a little going down.

“Uhh, we’re f-fine I guess.  We’re f-friends, you know. Nothing more.”

Felix nodded, weighing his next words.

“And you and Marinette?”

Adrien’s head whipped to look at his brother, but the man’s gaze stayed stubbornly on the screen.

“Whuh- what do you mean?  Marinette and I are friends, you know that.  We’ve talked about this.” He tried to sound nonchalant, but there was a strain in his voice that even _he_ could hear.  And his face was very warm as though he was flushed.  Turning his head back to the screen, he hoped his brother didn’t spare him a glance.

“Yes, we have, but I thought that things might have changed since that conversation.  You said Marinette is just a friend, and that may be true, but it has occurred to me that your thoughts about that might be different now.”

“Different now?  Different _how_?  Why?”

Felix did turn to face his brother this time, and Adrien couldn’t help but return his gaze.

“You tell me.  How did you feel on our joint date the other night?”

Adrien gulped, not sure what was a safe response.

“And before you lie to me,” his brother went on, “don’t.  I will know.”

The younger man searched his eyes, seeing only frankness and openness in them, and swallowed before answering.

“I might... have some feelings.”  Felix’s eyebrow twitched. Adrien coughed.  “Some feelings f-for Marinette. But that doesn’t matter because she has you.  I, uh, I wouldn’t want to interfere with that.”

Felix studied him a moment.

“So my hypothesis was correct?”  It sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Hy- hypothesis?” the younger Agreste voiced, confused.

“Yes.  I proposed to you last week that you might care if Marinette were to begin dating someone.  You negated that assumption, yet reacted in a hostile manner when I expressed interest in her.  Now you tell me that you have feelings for her after all. Ergo, my hypothesis was correct.”

“Wait but you say hypothesis like- like it’s an experiment.  What was the experiment?” He waited for a reply, but none came.  Instead, Felix looked back at the screen. Understanding dawned on Adrien, and he inhaled a deep breath.  “Did you ask Marinette on a date to mess with me?” His silence was answer enough. “But you can’t just play with people’s feelings like that, Felix!  And you _kissed_ her!”

“Yes, I did,” came the quiet reply, and something in his tone caused Adrien to stop in his angry outburst.

“Was that to mess with me too?” he asked, voice much more controlled.

Felix’s eyes were no longer on the screen, but focused on some invisible point on the floor.

“Partly,” he finally replied.

“And... what about the other part?”

The pale blond’s eyes fell to his lap, TV show forgotten.

“Because I wanted to.”

Without having realized it, Adrien had risen up on his knees, whole body turned to face his brother.  As he heard Felix’s confession, though, he sat back down on the couch, facing forward and staring into space.

“So, then... what now?”

Felix took a breath, then released it.

“Now you understand how you really feel.  You should pursue Marinette.”

“But,” Adrien shook his head, “she’s not interested in me.  She likes you.”

“That may not be-” Felix cleared his throat “-entirely true.”

“What do you mean, you think she’s pretending to like you?  Why would she do that?” He was somewhat insulted on Marinette’s behalf at the insinuation.

The older man rolled his eyes at his brother’s obliviousness.

“I cannot say with certainty how she feels about me, but I have reasons to believe, which I will not disclose to you, that she may be interested in you.”

“But- but that’s impossible because she-  I mean, she’s never-”

Adrien’s sentence cut off, unable to put his feelings into words.  Felix gave him a half-hearted glare.

“Was I right about you?” he asked, more rhetorically than anything.  Adrien nodded dumbly. “Then take my word for it,” Felix stated, facing forward once again.  Adrien followed suit, brow furrowed. Together, they watched the show on screen for a few minutes without really seeing it.

“So,” the younger of the two finally broke the silence.  “We both like Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Felix was quiet for a second.

“Indeed.”

Adrien nodded, unsure what else to say.

This was not what he had in mind when he planned on bonding with his brother.  Not at all.

* * *

Daybreak saw Adrien leaping up in alarm, realizing that he was most likely about to be late to school, if he wasn’t already.

The night before, he and Felix watched several episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist, in addition to a few other animes, and they didn’t pass out on Felix’s couch until the early hours of the morning.  It was by some miracle that his phone alarm even woke him at all.

Adrien had never taken a faster shower, and ended up foregoing the typical styling of his hair, pressed for time as he was.  He practically ran out the door with his bookbag half-slung over his shoulder, half trailing behind him, apple in hand as he took a bite during his dash for the car.

He took the steps up the front of the school two at a time, barely running through the door as the tardy bell rang.  Sinking breathlessly into his seat, Adrien released a sigh of relief, but it was short lived.

Suddenly, he was very aware of exactly who was behind him.  And it was so much worse than it was the week before, when he couldn’t stop getting turned on by everything Marinette did.  Because this time, _this time_ , he was acutely attentive to every little glance and sigh and giggle, wondering if she was as aware of him as he was of her, wondering if she felt the same, if there was any universe in which she might give him a chance.

And then he felt guilty because this all happened because of his brother.  Would he ever have woken up to his feelings if it hadn’t been for Felix? And speaking of Felix- how did Marinette feel about him?  She seemed to really enjoy his presence, and she let him kiss her, so she couldn’t _not_ like him.

And if Marinette liked Felix, he couldn’t get in between that, no matter how she felt about him.  Felix was a good person, and a good brother, and he deserved to be happy.

But the thought kept nagging at him.

_What if she liked me first?_

Wouldn’t that give him some sort of dibs?  In a totally, non-hegemonically masculine way, of course.

Shit, it was all so confusing.

Nino nudged him, nodding toward the board, and Adrien realized he hadn’t been paying attention to the lesson.  With new resolve, he decided to continue observing how Marinette acted around him, but also to see how she acted with Felix, too.

The teacher called on him, asking for his answer to the problem.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It turned out, things didn’t get much better as the hours passed.

Marinette attempted to be friendly with Adrien, but she was somewhat stilted, as though uncomfortable, and Adrien wondered if he did something wrong during the date.

Eventually he decided to bite the bullet.

“Marinette, is something wrong?”  At her look of surprise, he nervously began to rub the back of his neck.  “I mean, it kind of seems like you’re not comfortable with me. Did I do something?”

Her mouth opened and closed like a drowning fish before she finally stammered, “N- no! O- of course n- not!”  Then she paused, smiling in a forced and awkward manner. “I h- had a lot of f- fun this weekend with you and F- Felix.”

Adrien nodded, trying not to appear disappointment.  She liked Felix, just like he knew she did.

“You and K- Kagami look n- nice together, though.”  Then she cleared her throat. “You two make an i- interesting c- couple.”  Adrien couldn’t remember the last time she stuttered this much, and it didn’t escape his notice how she grit out the word “couple” as though it was offensive.

“Actually,” he said, encouraged by her response, “Kagami and I aren’t a couple.  We, uh, we’re just friends, nothing more. I, um, I don’t think of her like that.”  Then he swallowed anxiously, hoping he didn’t sound too quick to correct her. She nodded, the dismissal bell ringing to release them for the day.

“Right,” she finally said.  “Well, see you later, then.”  And she grabbed her bags on her shoulder, walking past the blond.

Adrien exhaled in a mixture of relief and disappointment.  He wished things weren’t so weird between them, but he didn’t feel like that conversation really did anything toward fixing it.  Not up to fencing, he texted Gorilla and told him he was going home for the day, using the excuse he didn’t feel well.

Walking outside, he was somewhat unprepared to see Marinette approaching Felix, who was standing next to the car, blushing and tucking a lock of hair shyly behind her ear.  Felix met her look with a fond one of his own, reaching up to brush his knuckles over her cheek. Then Marinette put her arms around his neck in a hug, causing the tall man to nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck.  They looked happy.

As she pulled back, though, she kissed Felix briefly on the lips, effecting an expression of surprise on his face.  His cheeks flushed, and his eyes closed, but his face looked pained as he dropped his gaze to the ground.

Adrien couldn’t find the strength of will to either approach them or look away, so he continued to watch like some paralyzed bystander.  Felix grabbed her hands in his, still facing down, and started to shake his head. Unable to hear what he was saying, Adrien nonetheless had a feeling it wasn’t something good, judging from Marinette’s reaction.  She slowly extracted her hands from his, drawing her shoulder back when he tried to place a hand on it, shaking her own head as though confused. Adrien could feel the heat in his face as adrenaline began to course through his body.  What the hell had his brother just done?

Then Marinette was turning, walking away, briefly responding to Felix calling out to her, by appearances reassuring him she was all right.

He wasn’t even aware he had moved, but in an instant, Adrien was walking up in front of his brother, expression both confounded and angry.

“What did you do to Marinette?” he demanded.  Felix’s eyelids drifted shut and he let out a pained sigh.

“I just told her it probably isn’t a good idea to pursue anything further between us.”  The man ran a shaking hand through his hair, not meeting his younger brother’s eyes. “She’s fine, I know it.  There was nothing substantial between us anyway. You should talk to her, let her know how you feel. I’m out of the picture.”

Adrien gaped, mouth hanging open in shocked muteness, as his brother turned and descended on the car.  He wanted to be angry, he wanted to yell, but he was sure if he said anything in that moment, it would end up being something he regretted.  Instead, he ducked into the car, taking the seat on the far side opposite his brother, and stared out the window for the entire trip.

When he got home, he had a princess to visit.

* * *

Barely able to wait for dusk, Chat Noir bounded over the rooftops, headed straight to his princess’ balcony.  As he expected she would be, she was leaning on the railing, staring out at the city around her. Thankfully, she didn’t appear to be crying.

He couldn’t help it- he had to see her, and with the awkwardness between her and his civilian self, he figured the best thing he could do would be to visit her as Chat Noir.

Then, he landed on her balcony, and he remembered what had happened the last time he was there in his superhero form.

 _Felix_.

Attempting to project total ignorance, Chat sauntered up to her playfully, nudging her shoulder with his own and saying, “Fancy seeing you here, _purr_ -incess.”

A semi-amused smile adorned Marinette’s face, and she held back a chuckle, simultaneously rolling her eyes at his antics.

“Yes, Chaton, what on Earth would I be doing here?  It must be the universe bringing us together, because how else can you explain the two of us ending up on this balcony, out of all the balconies in Paris, at the exact same time on the exact same night?”

Chat grinned, basking in her smile.  “Out of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, princess.”

She smirked.

“You walk into mine.”

Chat laughed out loud, throwing an arm loosely around her shoulders as she rolled her eyes again.

“Come on, princess,” he goaded, “tell Chat Noir what’s got you down.”  He hoped she couldn’t feel the racing of his heart.

“It’s nothing- really.  You don’t need to worry about me. I’m a tough girl.”  The cat-themed hero’s grin fell slightly.

“You don’t have to be tough with me, princess.  Tell me who hurt you, and I’ll make sure he’s never found.”

Marinette let out a breathless laugh at that.  “Oh, Chat, you’re too much sometimes. Even you might have some trouble keeping that promise.”  Then she paused, inhaling deeply and exhaling again. “The only one hurting me, is me.”

Chat couldn’t hide the surprised look on his face if he tried.

“ _What?_   That can’t be right-”

But she was already nodding.  “It is, Chat, it is. _I_ hurt me- no one else is responsible for that.”

He refused to believe that, not in small part due to his secret witness to the exchange between her and his brother earlier.

“No, princess, that can’t be right.”  She was shaking her head. “Then how, Mari, tell me how.  How did you manage to hurt yourself?”

She sighed, looking out at the empty air.  “I just, I let myself feel something that I knew I shouldn’t.  I let myself want something I knew wasn’t going to work out. It was really stupid of me.”

She sounded so dejected, it broke his heart.

“ _Princess_ -” he breathed, cupping her chin with the knuckle of his finger and raising it up.  Her eyes were moist, but no tears had fallen. “You deserve the world. Anything you want, it should be yours.  Tell me who made you think you weren’t worthy of them.”

Marinette’s eyes looked up to keep her tears from spilling over.

“It wasn’t that- he didn’t ever suggest that.  It’s just- he told me from the beginning that he didn’t intend to pursue anything with me, and still, I let myself get attached.  I was so stupid not to listen to him, not to listen to myself.”

“Who?  I need a name.”

She closed her eyes, tears finally falling down, and shook her head.

“I’m not telling you.  It wouldn’t be right.  He doesn’t deserve to be punished for doing exactly what he told me he would all along.”

Chat knew exactly who she was talking about, but she couldn’t know he knew that.  He had to find a way.

“Is it that guy?  From last time I was here?”  She didn’t respond, and he figured that would be enough to serve as confirmation.  “That Felix? He doesn’t deserve you, Marinette. He can’t possibly. He can’t ever love you like I-”

In his impassioned speech, Chat got carried away, nearly blurting out his own feelings for the rejected girl, surprising even himself.  It was the first time he had admitted it. He had admitted he had feelings for her, he had admitted he liked her, but he hadn’t admitted yet that he was _in love_ with her.  And he was. He knew it deep down, without a doubt, he loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

And she was staring at him in surprise and awe.

“Chat- what are you- but you love _Ladybug_.”

The hero nearly winced, his own words coming back to bite him.  He had begun to realize of late that his feelings for her partner weren’t the deep, everlasting love he always dreamed of.

“Well, you see, I’ve come to realize that the feelings I have for Ladybug- they’re more like an obsessive infatuation.  I admire her, and I love her as a person and as my partner, but I don’t know her well enough to be able to claim to truly love her.  I supposed I could, if she had given me that chance, but we’ve never been that kind of close, so the feelings I have for her have never had a chance to become much deeper than a crush.”

Marinette stared at him, jaw unhinged, pupils blown wide.  The masked blond leaned closer to her, amused smile on his face, and closed her mouth with a finger under her chin.

“You’ll catch flies like that, princess,” he joked, gazing fondly at her.

“Chat- I can’t- you can’t- there’s no way that-”  She sighed in frustration. “You can’t mean that. You’ve loved Ladybug for so long- Ladybug is so much _more_ than I am that I-”

“You stop right there,” he suddenly commanded, all traces of mirth gone from his face.  “You may be a lot of things- clumsy, and kind, and heart-stoppingly beautiful, but one thing you are _not_ is _less_ than Ladybug.  If anything, _you_ are so much more than her because you have every amazing quality she does, believe it or not, and _more_.”

Marinette’s eyes filled with tears, her nose and lips scrunching in an attempt to stem them.

“Then why doesn’t anybody _want_ me?”  Her voice broke, and along with it, his heart.

Drawing her to his chest, he held her tight, caressing her hair as she leaned her forehead against him, breathing deeply to maintain control.

“That’s not true.  They do- _I_ do.”

She leaned back, eyes rimmed red, brow furrowed, to search his face for signs of insincerity.

“But- I’m not- I’m nothing special-”

“Quiet,” Chat hushed her sharply, placing a gloved thumb over her lips.  Her eyes widened in response. Drawn in by the intensity of her gaze, he leaned forward, thumb tracing her lower lips as his eyes traveled down to her mouth.

“ _My princess_ ,” he breathed, “ _never doubt that you are wanted_.”  Just before his lips met hers, he paused, waiting for her permission.

Almost indiscernible, she nodded her head, and that was enough.  Chat finished closing the distance between them, softly pressing his lips against her own, drawing her lower lip between his teeth and sucking on it lightly.

As she parted her mouth in a gasp, he took the opportunity to languidly massage her tongue with his own, and she eagerly returned the gesture.  Kissing Marinette was the most amazing sensation he had ever experienced, and Chat didn’t want it to end.

Unfortunately, it had to.  After several minutes of deep, sensuous kisses, Chat reluctantly pulled back, recognizing that he might be making Marinette’s confusion even worse by pursuing her as a superhero instead of his civilian self.  Still, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

Leaning his forehead against hers, Chat caught his breath, taking in her sounds and her scent with his eyes closed, memorizing them to replay later in his mind.

“I have to go,” he finally said, and she nodded in understanding.

“Ok.”  Her voice was still breathless.

Chat hesitated.  He hoped this didn’t come out the way he thought it might.

“I hope that, if I can’t make it back for a while, that you won’t think I abandoned you.  Nothing could be further from the truth.”

She cocked her head to the side, giving him a sad half-smile of understanding.

“It’s ok, Chat.  It wouldn’t be wise of you to pursue someone as a superhero.  I get it.”

Chat nodded, glad she knew what he was getting at, but nearly willing to say “to hell with it all” and make what was sure to be a grave mistake, consequences be damned.

But he couldn’t put her at that risk.

Softly, he drew a hand down the side of her cheek, reaching down to lift one of her hands to his lips.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he whispered, lips tickling her knuckles before he pressed a kiss to them.

She sighed, allowing him to hold her hand for a moment longer.  Then he turned his back to her, baton in hand, looking out at the night sky.  Just before he shot off into the darkness, though, he turned back.

“See you around.”

She smiled in return.

“See you around, Chaton.”

Then he vaulted upward and was soon lost to her sight.

And neither of them knew just how true those words were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, what did you think?
> 
> Comments, suggestions? Favorite parts? Parts you weren't fond of? I still haven't made any concrete decisions about who ends up with who, so tell me who you think will end up together, or who you want to end up together.
> 
> Thanks for reading (and commenting, if you do)!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix happen to cross path with a couple of black-haired girls, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, let me clarify something that a few people have asked/commented about. Kagami doesn't dislike Marinette or think she's playing with Adrien's feelings, at least not in my story. In this fic, she views Marinette as competition, and therefore treats her the same as she treats other people she doesn't consider friends- a bit cold and way formal.
> 
> Great. Glad to clarify that. Enjoy?

Felix Agreste was a man who was used to not getting what he wanted.

The world thought he did, but he knew that wasn’t the case.

He didn’t get his father’s favor.

He didn’t get to choose where he went to school.

He didn’t get to know what happened to his mother when she disappeared.

He didn’t get to decide even what kind of person he was- it was written in his DNA.

And now, he didn’t get to be with the only woman he had ever been truly interested in.

He was not a cold-blooded human being.  He had had... _relationships_ of the past, but they were matters of convenience.  They met a need of some sort, whether that was business (for his father) or pleasure (for his own carnal needs).  And he never used anyone that wasn’t aware of it and likewise using him as well.

He kept his hands clean, and his head down, and the media left him alone because they found him boring.  It wasn’t a perfect life, but he figured it could have been worse.

It could _always_ be worse.

So he was only slightly surprised when it _did_ get worse.

In the form of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

She dropped into his life unexpectedly, and he barely knew her, but he was drawn to her, as though she was a flame, and he was a moth, or she was some long-sought-after soulmate, somehow reborn in a new life and waiting for him to find her.

It was crazy.  He didn’t know her.  He had no reason to feel that way.  But that didn’t change the fact that he did.  And it was not without quite a bit of bitter irony that he acknowledged to himself that he never would have known her, never would have developed this strong and sudden attachment to her, if it wasn’t for the fact that she loved his brother, and his brother loved her.

Because wasn’t that just how his life always went.  He unintentionally courted bad luck. Bad luck, of all things, was his mistress, and she was a bitch.

It was with these thoughts running unchecked through his head that Felix perused his brother’s fencing equipment.  It wasn’t that many days ago that he had challenged Adrien to a match, back when he was trying to get a rise out of him about Marinette, but somehow it felt much longer than that.

 _Mission accomplished, I guess_ , he mused somewhat sourly.  Part of him wished he never got involved.

Or that he never intentionally provoked his brother’s awareness.

Maybe then he could have been with Marinette.

The pale blond sighed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply in a method of relaxation he often practiced.  

 _Always forward, never back_.

He repeated the mantra in his head over and over, a token of advice given to him by the one person he ever had any sort of friendship with during his 4 years away from home.

 _Always forward, never back_.

He inhaled again, focusing on his breath, so he was startled when a voice suddenly sounded at his side.

“Are you looking for something specific?”

Felix whirled toward the voice, eyes wide in surprise, coming to rest on a relatively short female, roughly his brother’s age, with short, black hair, deep, brown eyes, and a bold, red fencing suit.

She looked familiar.

It took his brain a moment, but only a brief one, and he came to recognize his brother’s friend and date.

And she was already holding out an ungloved hand.

“Kagami Tsurugi,” she stated simply, confidently.  “I realize we technically already met, but allow me to make it official.”

Felix looked at her hand for a second before accepting it.

“Felix,” he responded, feeling slightly foolish about introducing himself to someone who already knew his name.  It was like some movie cliche. “Agreste.”

She nodded, releasing his hand.

“So tell me, Felix, what are you doing nosing around our changing room?”

Felix’s eyebrow twitched.  Was she always this intrusive?

“I am searching for the rest of Adrien’s gear.  We decided to have our own sibling match, but I’m not confident he has enough equipment here for two.  And I am also out of practice, I’m afraid. It would be beneficial for me to reacquaint myself with the sport before attempting a match.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow.

“A sibling rivalry?”

Felix only stared, both unwilling and unsure of what to say.

If he wasn’t mistaken, she was smirking at him.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, would it?”

Felix resisted swallowing, electing to minutely narrow his eyes instead.

“I don’t see the connection.”

“Naturally,” the girl returned, beginning to walk around and behind him as she spoke.  “Men are often oblivious or willfully ignorant of their own politics when it comes to women.”  

Felix remained silent, not taking the bait, but watched as she pulled her foil out from underneath her arm, holding it by the handle in front of her face, then giving it a few experimental flicks.  Grabbing a similar piece from Adrien’s stash, she tossed it lightly to Felix, who caught it by the handle. He continued to look at her warily.

Assuming the proper position, she met Felix’s eyes without faltering.  

“En garde!”  He slowly responded in kind.

“Prêts?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Allez!”  And she lunged, but this was a dance that Felix hadn’t forgotten.  He parried her strikes, lazily returning a few, careful not to allow her to touch him, especially when he wasn’t wearing any protective gear.  Not that the foils were dangerous, they weren’t even heavy, but they could smart if they struck hard enough.

“Sometimes,” the girl bantered, not even out of breath, “you have to acknowledge when you’re doing something wrong.  An error is an error. Instead of making the same mistake, you have to change your technique, or you change your target.”

Felix continued blocking and parrying her strikes, resetting when one of the them touched the other.

“So, Felix, which is it with you and Marinette?”  He faltered briefly, and she touched him. They reset their positions.  “Are you changing your technique, or your target?”

Felix continued not to answer, simply allowing her to talk.

“Men spend so much time making simple mistakes, not realizing they’re in a game of strategy where hesitation costs you.”  Another touch.

Kagami looked at him dead on.

“I never hesitate.”

“What about you and Adrien?” Felix finally asked, and she stilled, face as impassive as ever.  “Are you changing your target, or your technique?”

The only answer he received was a smirk.

* * *

Marinette emerged from the front doors of the school, shoving some books borrowed from the library into her bag.  It wasn’t due for a few weeks, but she could think of nothing more effective in getting her mind off her boy issues than immersing herself in a project for school.  As she slowly ambled down the steps, her mind kept wandering back to Felix and Adrien, even to Chat.

She kissed him.  Or she let him kiss her.  It was the same. And why did she do that?  She knew it would not come to anything, not only because he was a hero and she a civilian (to his understanding), but also because she was his partner, and she didn’t want to deceive him in that way.  In all honesty, she truly cared about him. After several years of sporadic friendly hangouts anytime he happened to be passing by her roof, she developed a sincere regard for him. She loved him in a way she never thought she would, but she had been focused on Adrien for so long, she couldn’t let go.

And now that she was ready, she still managed to muck things up.  

Remembering what he said about Ladybug made her want to laugh bitterly.  Just a crush, he said. He loved Marinette, he said. Months ago, that might have been enough to sway her- her partner falling in love with her civilian identity and choosing her over her alter ego.  But then she would remember she couldn’t reveal herself to him, and she would have to reject him anyway rather than toy with his feelings.

She felt like a horrible person.

And _Felix_.  She knew going into that what the stakes were.  He told her from the beginning that he was trying to help Adrien realize some nonexistent feelings he had for her.  But then he _kissed her_ , and it was _real_.  And in the back of her mind, she truly thought he had given up on his ridiculous idea about Adrien, and wanted her for himself.

Well, it turned out she was wrong.

Taking a deep breath as she reached the bottom, she raised her head and elevated her gaze to take in her surroundings.

And then the air left her body in a whoosh.

Because further down the curb was the Agreste chauffeur, and leaning against it was the very man she had just been thinking about, only he wasn’t alone.  Standing opposite him was Kagami, and she was plucking something off his vest which was invisible from the distance. Felix’s lip twitched, his eyes almost twinkling, until he shifted his head slightly to the side and caught Marinette’s eyes.  Then a pained look descended on his face, and Kagami turned her head to follow his gaze.

Marinette immediately spun and walked in the opposite direction, even though it was the wrong way to her house.

She stopped when she heard a voice calling her name.

But the person who came up beside her wasn’t Felix.

It was Adrien.

“Hey,” he greeted, slightly winded from jogging to catch her, bag slung over his shoulder and hair slightly damp from his after-fencing shower.

“Hi.”  Marinette’s eyes were wide in surprise and alarm, her heart slowing down when she realized she wasn’t about to be confronted by Felix.

“Listen, I know things have been kind of weird lately, and it’s kind of hard to explain why, but I was hoping we could move past it.  Maybe you and I can work on that project together. We always make a really great team. What do you think?”

For a second, she only stood there, unsure of what to do.  But she didn’t want to keep being awkward around Adrien, or for Adrien to keep being awkward around her.

“Yea, ok,” she answered, hoping she wouldn’t have to interact with Felix for any of it.

Adrien beamed.  “Great!” Then a look of shy nervousness took over his features, and he lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck.  “Actually, do you, uh, do you want to come over this weekend and work on it? And maybe we could hang out afterward, just the two of us?”

Marinette’s heart pounded in her ears.  It sounded like he was asking her on a date, but she knew that couldn’t be right.  Adrien, despite Felix’s beliefs, was _not_ interested in her.

“Sure.  It’s been a while since it’s been just us, I guess.  A little Adrinette time wouldn’t hurt.”

The blond gaped, blushing slightly.  “You mean like, uh, like a date?” Was that hope or fear in his eyes?

“W- well, not ex- exactly.  More like a f- a friend date.”  She gave him the most reassuring smile she could, watching his expression again.  Was that relief or disappointment? Why was it so hard to read Adrien’s face?!

“Yea- yea, sounds amazing.”  He swallowed. “I’ll text you.”

“Ok,” she waved, then turned to go.

“Actually, Marinette, don’t you live the other way?  Why are you walking this direction?”

The girl stopped mid-step, eyes closing in frustration before she schooled her features and pivoted on her heel.

“Oh! Right!” she exclaimed in (very real) exasperation.  “I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess that’s just typical Marinette, you know?”  And she giggled for emphasis, but it was empty and fake.

Adrien gave her an odd look, then turned to stroll alongside her, slowing his pace to match hers as she lamented him not leaving her behind.

As they reached the car, Marinette noticed Kagami was already gone, and Felix was already waiting inside.  Adrien paused as he stood with the door open, looked awkwardly between her and Felix, who was not looking up from his seated position.  The noirette fixed hers on her feet, turning to keep walking, but Adrien had her elbow.

“Wait.  Marinette.  Would you like a ride?”  The blond wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad idea, but he couldn’t just _not offer_.

“No, I’m- I’m good, thanks though.”  Finally, she raised her head to give Adrien a smile.  “I’d rather walk.”

There was a subtle bite to her words that belied her expression, and it caused Felix to subtly flinch.

“All right.  I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“See ya, Adrien.”  She paused a moment.  “Felix.” Then she turned to leave, not noticing as the older Agreste’s head shot up.

Adrien watched her go, unaware his brother was doing the same.  If Felix wasn’t going to treat Marinette the way she deserved, then Adrien sure as hell wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass by him again.

One thing was for sure.

He was going to win over Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

* * *

Ladybug swung through the night, headed for the rooftop where she and Chat Noir always met in cases of emergencies.  She was surprised to find he had left her a message on her communicator saying he needed to meet about something important.  A myriad of possibilities from him having to give up his miraculous to him finding out Hawkmoth’s identity raced through her mind, not unlike the way she raced over buildings and streets, wondering what could be so important.

As she landed, she caught sight of the cat boy perched on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side as he looked out over the skyline.

The hunch of his back, the tightness of his shoulder, the drooping of his ears- it was clear _something_ was bothering him.

“Chaton?” she asked, surprised he hadn’t noticed her presence, so engrossed was he in whatever it was he had on his mind.

His golden hair flipped as he turned his head, luminescent green eyes reflecting the lights all around them.  It sent a chill through her spine.

Ladybug stepped closer, watching as he gave her a half-smile and turned back to face the city.

“Hey, Ladybug.  Thanks for coming.  I wasn’t sure you would make it.”

Taking a seat, her eyes never left her partner.

“Of course, kitty.  But, what’s wrong? What’s so important we had to meet like this... here?”

“I’m sorry I worried you, bug.  I just really needed someone to talk to, and you’re kind of the only person I can come to with this for obvious reasons,” he answered, gesturing to himself and his suit.

She nodded, somewhat relieved but still curious.

“Ok, well, start talking, I guess.”

“You know I love you, right?”  He turned to look in her eyes, worry highlighting his own.  “I mean, like, really love you, that you’re important to me no matter what and always will be.  You know that, right?”

Ladybug nodded slowly, cautious about the direction this conversation was heading.

“Yes, of course, Chaton.  Me too.” He had no idea how much.

A look of relief passed over his face, and his features relaxed, his gaze directed forward again.

“It’s just, I don’t want you to think I’m fickle, or some kind of player.”

Ladybug snorted, then a hand flew up to cover her mouth, eyes wide in surprise at herself.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to laugh at you.  It’s just that- I know you so well, Chat. You’re my partner.  Of _course_ I would never think that of you.”

The man beside her nodded, appreciative of her belief in him.

“I’m glad, my lady, because I have a problem, and I don’t know what to do.”  He paused, taking a breath. “You see, there’s this girl. I’ve been kind of visiting her as Chat for a while now- years, come to think of it, but not, like, _all the time_ , just, you know, when I happen to be in the area.”

“Chat, you’re rambling.”

“Sorry,” he breathed out, voice slightly shaking.  “I’m just nervous. I wasn’t sure how you would take this.”

“So far so good.  Continue.”

“Ok.  So, I’ve been going to see her, and she’s become someone extremely important to me.   I’m so happy to have her in my life, and I don’t want to lose that. She’s- she’s _everything_ , Lady, you don’t even know, and I-”

“You love her,” she cut in.  Chat turned to look at her, eyes wide, mouth parted, then nodded.

“Yea.  Yea, I do.”

“Ok.  So, ask me what you want to ask me.”

He hesitated.

“Well, I kissed her, and it was amazing- _she’s_ amazing.  I love her, and I think she loves this side of me, and that’s all I ever wanted from someone, but she’s really the only person who’s had that opportunity, the only one I’ve ever let in that way.  Would it... be so bad to have a relationship with someone while wearing the mask?” Ladybug drew in a breath, and Chat looked away, knowing full well what she was going to say, but needing to get out his reasons anyway.  “It’s just, I feel like if I don’t do this, then I might never get another chance with her. And I know- I _know_ what you’re going to say- you’re going to say that it’s too dangerous, but Goddammit, Ladybug, I could _protect_ her.  I could, I could be so careful that no one would ever know, and she would be so safe because she would be with _me_ and I would _never_ let anything happen to her.”  Chat stopped, overexcited and breathing hard.

Ladybug cocked her head, emotions surging within her because _her Chaton_ was so in love with her, that he would do anything to be with her.

“Oh, Kitty,” she said, reaching up with a hand, fighting the tears that were collecting in her eyes as she watched her partner’s face.  “I know you could do everything you just said, but... what kind of life would that be? We can’t reveal ourselves to anyone right now- it’s too dangerous, and who knows when we will be able to do that.  Is that really what you want for her, to keep a relationship secret from everyone she knows, to steal away dates in the middle of the night, appearing to all the world as though she doesn’t belong to anyone?”  He looked away, thoughtful and frustrated. “And what happens if, someday, you decide you want to marry her? How would that even happen? What would you do, have a secret wedding, in your superhero suit, no less?  How do you expect to build a life with someone, make a family with them, make _love_ with them, when they can’t even see your face?”  She sniffed, looking down. “I’m so sorry, Chat, but I think it would be wrong to do that, to both of you.  Maybe, in the future, everything will change, but for now, I think that it would be best if you didn’t get involved with anyone as Chat.”

The man beside her gulped, nodding in acceptance, then turned to flash her a smile.

“You’re right.  It’s for the best. I can’t pursue her as Chat, thanks for helping me see that.”

Ladybug nodded, leaning back and watching her partner’s strange expression.  He looked both upset and not upset enough. He really loved Marinette, so why wasn’t he fighting her more?  She was expecting a battle, but it wasn’t much of one.

“Anytime,” she responded, watching as he came to his feet.  Instead of a kiss on the hand though, he grabbed her hand and hauled her up, drawing her into his arms and hugging her.

“Thank you, Ladybug.  I love you.” The scarlet hero wrapped her arms around his middle, somewhat confused by his behavior.

“I love you, too, Chat.”

* * *

After her talk with Chat, Ladybug didn’t really feel like going home.  It hurt her more than she was able to let on, especially when Chat had no idea who she was, to see him struggle over her, only to let her go so easily.

I mean, yea, she wasn’t going to give him her blessing or anything, but he could at least have put up more of a fight, right?

Maybe his feelings weren’t as deep as either of them thought.

Maybe it was just a momentary infatuation that would pass, just like his _crush_ on Ladybug.

That stung, too.

Instead of heading back immediately, she swung lazily and aimlessly through a few streets, not realizing it when she came to stop close to Agreste mansion.

The lights inside beckoned to her, taunted her.  Inside were two men who she could easily be happy with, and she had just left the company of a third.

It was like fortune was laughing in her face.

Because she couldn’t have a single one of them.

And even if she could, which one would she choose?  It was impossible.

Ladybug shook her head, lifting her arm to cast off and swing away when she heard her name.

“Ladybug?”

Whipping around in surprise, Ladybug came practically face to face with one of the men of her dreams.

“H- hi there.  Didn’t see you.  Sorry to bother. Really must be going.”  And she reached up to throw her yo-yo, but his voice stopped her.

“Ladybug?  What are you doing here?”

Her shoulders slouched, resigned, as she turned to face him again.

“I just was passing by and got lost in my thoughts.  I didn’t realize where I was until just a second ago.  But, I should really be getting home, and that’s not exactly across the street, so... I’ll see you later, maybe?”

The man nodded, visibly perturbed.  Ladybug hesitated.

“Is, uh, is everything all right?”  Internally, she swore at herself. Why was she doing this?

But she knew why.  He looked upset, and she couldn’t just leave him alone.

“Not exactly,” the blond replied.  “But you don’t want to hear about my problems.”

“Actually,” she cleared her throat (and simultaneously questioned her sanity), “if you need someone to talk to, I don’t mind.  I do like helping people after all.” And she gestured to herself. “Savior of Paris and all that.”

The man chuckled lightly.  It sounded nice.

 _Shut up, brain_.

“It’s just... can I ask you a question?  A slightly personal one?”

She paused for a second, then nodded.  It wasn’t like he knew who she was anyway.

“Have you ever met someone and just _knew_ you could really love this person, but there were circumstances that made it impossible for it to be?”

All the blood drained from her face, and she opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish, feeling an odd, cold kind of heat taking over her body.

“I- uh- _yea..._  I have.  I guess that’s true.  I’ve met someone before and felt like, in another life, under different circumstances, we could have been something.”  Then her face heated in shame, thinking of just who she was talking to in that moment, and knowing that he had no idea.  Looking down, she continued, “It’s kind of a problem with me. Everytime I meet someone, something goes wrong.”

The man in front of her nodded in understanding.

“Yea.  I know exactly how that feels.”

Too afraid to look in his eyes, she kept her attention on her feet, which were toeing the ground in anxiousness.

“You, uh, are you going to try to fix things?”

He was silent for a second, and Ladybug’s curiosity overwhelmed her, prompting her to raise her eyes to search his face.

The expression he wore was conflicted, sad.  Her heart twisted in her chest.

“I want to- I wish I could.  But I don’t know if that would be right.”

Suddenly, a steely determination overtook her.

“If you want something, you have to fight for it,” she told him with every ounce of conviction she had, pushing down the thought that she could stand to take her own advice.  “If this girl is that important to you, then you shouldn’t let anything take that away from you.” Then her voice softened. “If you do, then you don’t really deserve to have it in the first place.”

He looked back at her in awe, and her confidence crumbled.  Fiddling with her yo-yo in one hand, she looked back at the ground.

“I, uh, I really do have to go.  I’m sorry about your situation, and I hope it works out for the best.”  Then she turned around and raised her arm. Just before she cast it out, she looked back at the man still standing amazed.  “Goodbye, Felix.” And with that, she tweaked her wrist and swung away.

The pale blond stood there for a moment, wondering over what just happened.  Then something occurred to him.

“I didn’t tell her my name was Felix.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. I know this chapter is a bit shorter than others, but it felt like a good place to stop. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Care to share you thoughts? Leave me a comment! (I love them :))


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien comes up with a brilliant plan to win Marinette over as himself, the girl herself is confused by his behavior, and Felix struggles with why he feels like he knows Ladybug in real life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me! I have had so much work and other stuff to work on, and I even got distracted by a few one-shot ideas that I just HAD to write. Can't waste good inspiration!
> 
> I hope this chapter (though somewhat shorter than others) was worth the wait!

When the day broke, Adrien had already been awake for quite some time.

Ever since his conversation with Ladybug the night before, he had been pondering the problem of how he might approach Marinette as himself.  Everything Ladybug said was true- as much as it pained him to admit it. Trying to have a relationship with anyone while wearing the suit was not only dangerous for the civilian, but downright near impossible logistically speaking.

So, as much as he wanted to bound over the rooftops to Marinette’s balcony and knock on her trapdoor, he knew he couldn’t do that.

How, then, was he supposed to win the heart of the girl who already had feelings for his alter ego- someone relatively far removed from his public persona as Adrien Agreste?  Until this point, he had always relished the difference between both sides of him- it helped him to remain an unlikely suspect for the cat hero’s secret identity. Now, though, it was extremely inconvenient as it had inadvertently become an obstacle.  If Marinette was in love with Chat Noir, the truer, freer side of who he was, then how could she love his opposite- the reserved, perpetually polite public figure?

Adrien rose out of his bed, mentally and physically exhausted.  During his entire morning routine, he ruminated on just how he could woo Marinette as himself.  He reasoned, if she hadn’t shown any real interest in him yet, then she wasn’t likely to do so any time soon.

With no one else to confide in, he voiced the majority of his thoughts to Plagg, much to the kwami’s annoyance.  And though at first the blond felt like it was a mistake, Plagg ended up giving him some advice that he thought could actually be what he needed.  It went like this:

“But, Plagg, how am I supposed to get Marinette to fall in love with me?  She’s never shown any interest in Adrien before.”

The kwami gave him a flat, unimpressed look before groaning in frustration.  How many different ways could he spell it out for him?

“I already told you a thousand times, kid.  Just be yourself. Ask her out. She’ll say yes.”  Then he rolled his eyes for good measure, but the boy in front of him didn’t take him seriously.

Was he not listening, or was he just that dense? Adrien wondered.  Marinette didn’t like Adrien that way, and that was unlikely to change.

“Plagg!  That’s literally the worst advice you could give me.”  The kwami stared disbelievingly at his chosen. “She already likes Chat Noir, and if she likes him, there’s no way she could like me as Adrien!”

Plagg stuffed his face with camembert, murmuring to himself: “Why don’t you just act like Chat Noir around her then because apparently Adrien isn’t good enough.”

The frustrated boy’s eyes widened in revelation, and Plagg gulped, concern pooling in his (already full) gut.

“What?”

“Plagg, that’s perfect!” the model shouted excitedly.  “She’s in love with Chat Noir, and I am Chat Noir, so I’ll just act like Chat around her all the time!”

Adrien buzzed about his room in his enthusiasm, gathering all the objects he needed for the school day and muttering to himself incoherently as his kwami watched on in perplexed astonishment.

On the one hand, Adrien’s plan could prove quite entertaining.  The girl would certainly be flustered by the sudden shift, and probably quite confused.  Tikki definitely wouldn’t know what the hell was going on.

On the other hand, it could make things more complicated.  If she was as smart as Plagg believed her to be, it wouldn’t take her too long to figure out just who had been visiting her for so long.  Marinette definitely wasn’t as oblivious as his boy. Tikki would be really irritated with him for letting Adrien go through with such a risky scheme, and an irritated Tikki was not something to trifle with.  Maybe he should tell Adrien it wasn’t a good idea.

...Then again, on second thought, Plagg was willing to risk it. 

* * *

Marinette watched the blond boy in front of her in confusion.  He had been acting weird all day.

It started the moment she arrived in the classroom.

She had barely arrived at her seat when her ~~crush~~ former crush sauntered up to her desk, half bowing before her and lifting her hand gingerly with his own to kiss the back of her knuckles.  It was both distracting and familiar.

“Morning, Mari,” he told her with a smirk.  “How are you this fine day?”

The astonished girl gaped, mouth open but unable to produce a sound, as he watched her with an amused twinkle in his eye.  Drawing back slowly, he stood before her almost as though posing, his arm raised high, elbow bent so that his hand was resting on the back of his head, bicep flexed.  And then, to her complete and utter amazement, he winked.

“See you tonight, right?”

Marinette hesitated for a moment, lost in Adrien’s Sex Appeal™, before shaking her head to free herself from her stupefied silence.

“Uh, to- tonight?” she asked, confused as to what words were in general, but also unsure what he was referring to.

“Yea,” he responded, giving her a cocky half-smirk that sent a shiver down her spine.  “Tonight. We’re working together on that project, right, Mari?” His smirk transitioned into a heart stopping smile.

“Y- yea, to- totally,” she stammered, then cleared her throat.  “S- see you th- then.” Marinette tried to smile and nod reassuringly, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t her proudest moment.

Adrien gave her another wink, saying, “Great.  It’s a date,” before turning and taking his seat, momentarily swiveling around in his chair to give her one last panty-drop-inducing smirk before turning his attention to the front of the room.

Lucky girl that she was, Marinette was horrified when Alya walked in on exactly those words, intently watching the look Adrien threw her friend’s way.

With a smug expression, the redhead strutted to her seat beside her still-stunned best friend, plopping down beside her in a rather inelegant manner.  Marinette could feel her cheeks color, her eyes focused on some invisible, faraway thing. It took Alya’s fingers snapping in front of her face to bring her focus back to the present.

“So,” the amateur reporter began almost conversationally, “another date with Agreste, huh?”

“ _Alya_ ,” the noirette whispered feverishly, “ _that’s not what it sounds like.  It’s just a study date_.”  Beside her, Alya raised a calm, curious eyebrow, and Marinette struggled to understand what it meant.  Lowering her voice until it was almost inaudible, she pleaded, “ _Please, Alya, I beg you.  Don’t make this a big thing.  You’re going to freak Adrien out, when this isn’t anything more than friends working together for school_.”

Slowly, the bespectacled girl rotated her head to look over the boy in question, not failing to take in the way he appeared to look just ever-so-slightly off to the side, one ear turned minutely towards them as though trying to listen in.  Then, just as gradually, she shifted her gaze back to the girl beside her.

“Well,” she returned in a voice just as low.  “Someone might want to tell _him_ that.”

Marinette frowned disapprovingly but subtly looked in the blond’s direction as well.  When her eyes reached him, he appeared to be entirely unaware of their conversation, gaze completely directed forward, but she did notice that the tips of his ears were tinged red.

Skeptically, she looked back at her friend before turning her attention to the work on her desk, giving her head a little shake of disbelief.

Adrien wasn’t interested in her.

Alya was seeing things.

But his behavior didn’t change much for the rest of the day.  When class was over, Adrien held the door for her, giving her a blinding grin, somewhat distracting the girl.  As he came up close behind her, she found herself lost in his eyes. Her hand was still gripping the door knob as he reached out to grab the handle, and there was a quick shock of static electricity when his hand came into contact with hers.  Marinette jumped slightly, startled by the sensation, gaze dropping to their joined hands before flying to his face.

He looked down at her, chuckling, expression amused and eyes crinkled with a smile.

“Are you _feline_ the _spurrk_ between us right _meow_?” he asked, voice dropping provocatively.

Marinette blinked owlishly, surprise trumping his attractiveness.

Behind them both, Alya chortled, amused but unfazed, the sound bringing Marinette back to reality.  The confused girl blushed, turning away from both her friends, and exited the room as quickly as she could.  Her redheaded friend was close on her heels, though, laughing to herself as she followed Marinette down the hall.

Automatically taking materials out of her locker and putting others away, unseeing, she stared into space, trying to process what she just experienced.

Adrien could be funny, and over the top, and she had seen him flirt on more than one occasion... but she had never heard him _pun_.  About _cats_ no less.  It felt strange and familiar at the same time, an uncanny sensation that she couldn’t place.  It was almost like with that hair and those eyes and...

She shook her head.  She couldn’t think about it.  Didn’t want to think about it, though she couldn’t really say why.  It was just like something was telling her to drop it, so she let the idea go without another thought.

Then at lunch, Adrien was eating his chef-prepared salad when Nino commented on his strict diet.  The blond shrugged, then turned to Marinette, who was biting into a macaron.

“What can I say?  I’m not supposed to eat sweets, but maybe Marinette won’t mind sharing.  What do you think, Mari? Could you share some of your sweetness with me?  I bet it tastes delicious.” Then he threw in a lascivious wink, and Marinette blushed to the roots of her hair.

Alya guffawed, drawing attention to the table and causing the noirette to wish that she could melt through the floor.  

“All right, sunshine,” Alya chimed in, “leave the poor girl alone.  You know she can’t handle that much flirting without an aneurysm.” Then she flicked some of the yogurt that got on her finger nail at the smirking boy.  “Reel it back in, Casanova.”

Adrien appeared to be holding back a laugh.

“I think you mean _Cat_ sanova.”  

The girl in front of him rolled her eyes as he barked out a laugh, but it was clear she was fighting a smile.

“Don’t push it, model boy.”  Adrien’s laughter petered off into light chuckles as Marinette got herself under control.  She waited the minimum length of time she thought appropriate before excusing herself from the table and fleeing to the locker room.

What was happening?

Adrien was acting like someone she didn’t know that well- or rather, like someone she _did_ know very well, but who wasn’t him.  It was confusing, disorienting, and she wondered where this side of him had come from or been hiding.

Before long, Alya appeared at her side, expression slightly concerned.

“Hey, you ok?  Adrien’s just being Adrien.  I wouldn’t get so worked up if I were you- it would only encourage him.”

Marinette stared silently into space.  It would? Why did she not know this? How was it possible that she had been in love with him for so long when there was a whole part of his personality that she never saw?

_Maybe I never let him show it to me._

Adrien was acting in a way that completely surprised her.  It was like he had taken the playful side she knew and dialed it up to 1000.  Honestly, she was starting to wonder if she knew him as well as she thought she did.

“You ok?” Alya was asking again, and Marinette nodded her head, offering a small smile.  “You sure? I can always go give him a little lecture if you want. I mean, I know he can be over the top sometimes, but he seems to be pushing it quite a bit today.”

_So it’s not just me seeing that._

“But you know,” the redhead continued, “I think he’s just trying to impress you- get your attention.  And I mean, it’s kind of working, isn’t it?”

Marinette gawked, the thought being the opposite of her own conclusion.

“No, Alya, I don’t think that’s it.  Adrien flirts all the time-” Alya’s eyebrows flew up in surprise, but she didn’t speak. “-and I think if he’s being like that, so _not_ serious, then he’s just playing around.  There’s nothing more to it. It’s just harmless flirting.”  Her friend looked ready to say something but Marinette stopped her.  “It doesn’t matter anyway. You know I let that go a while ago, so just drop-”

But the rest of her sentence was cut off when she heard some screams coming from outside.

_Shit._

Alya, previously concerned and ready to argue, suddenly looked like she couldn’t stand still.  It was clear to Marinette that her friend was anxious to go investigate the likely akuma, but didn’t want to abandon her friend in a time of need.  Marinette, of course, needed to find somewhere private to transform. With a fond roll of her eyes, she said:  
  
“Go.  You know you want to, and I’m fine.”

Alya’s face split into a grin, and she was nearly out the doorway before she stopped at the sound of Marinette’s voice.

“Just-”

The amateur reporter whipped around immediately.

“Be careful,” she finished, voice laced with concern.  “I’d never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you.”   _Words can’t describe how true that is._

Alya let out an amused breath.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured her.  “I always am.” And then she was gone, and Marinette was alone.

It was both a relief and a weight on her chest.  Without hesitating much longer, the secret superhero looked around to make sure she was truly alone before calling for her transformation.  And with feelings of bittersweetness, she cast her yo-yo through the open window and swung away. 

* * *

When he heard the screams, Adrien knew he had to get outside as quickly as possible, which meant he had to transform as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t help the overwhelming need to make sure that Marinette was ok first.

Last he knew, she had taken off for the locker rooms with Alya following close behind.

So maybe he was taking it a little overboard with the Chat Noir act, but he hoped that once Marinette got over the shock of him acting so out of character, for lack of a better phrase, she would mentally connect him with the black-clad hero and hopefully her feelings for him would develop into something similar.

Every second he looked at her throughout the day, he wanted to pull her close and kiss her until she was so without oxygen that she had to come up for air.

And now, every second that he didn’t know where she was, his heart twisted tighter in his chest.

He made a beeline for the locker rooms, nearly running into Alya on his way.

“Alya!” he practically yelled, wincing at his own tone and tempering it with great effort.  “Where’s Mari?”

The girl gave him a smirk, visibly stifling a laugh.

“Relax, sunshine, she’s fine.  I just saw her in the locker room; she’s safe.  I’d give her a few minutes though, if I were you.  All that teasing got her riled up, and I don’t know if she can deal with any more of this-” she waved her hand generally in gesture to Adrien’s entire being “-right now.”

Adrien didn’t have time for this.

“Relax, I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

Alya really did chuckle this time, shifting on her feet restlessly.

“Yea.  You do that.  I really got to go, though, so..." and she let her sentence trail off, waving briefly before taking off toward the exit.

Adrien didn’t waste another second but ran toward the locker room.

When he got there, however, Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

He turned frantically around, looking past every corner, into every possible hiding place, before groaning in frustration.  Just as he was about to take off to run the halls searching for her, Plagg emerged from his pocket.

“I know I’m not usually one the one to say this, but shouldn’t we get out there?”

Adrien was about to argue that he just needed a few more minutes when he heard some more screams from outside.  Quickly he peeked out the window, seeing Ladybug already out there swinging over rooftops some several blocks away, the bright redness of her suit starkly contrasting against the sky.

“ _Shit_ ,” he muttered under his breath.  Marinette would be ok, he reasoned.  She was safely in the school somewhere, and as soon as this whole fight was over, he would find her and make sure that she was perfectly fine.

Adrien gave a sigh of frustration and punched the air.

“Plagg, claws out!”

And in less than a second, he was launching out of the very window, unbeknownst to him, that Ladybug had jumped through just minutes before. 

* * *

Ladybug couldn’t remember Chat ever actually _wanting_ an akuma battle to end so badly.  Throughout the whole fight, she watched him move, every action laced with impatience, shuffling back and forth on his feet even when they were standing still.  And he was distinctly pun-less for the entire time. She had never heard her partner pass over so many opportunities to pun- _ever_. Deep down, she began to worry that something was seriously wrong with Chat.

When the fight was finally over and the akuma purified, Ladybug laid a hand on Chat’s arm before he had a chance to leap away.  He looked back almost in irritation, leaving her shocked. He had never skipped their customary fist bump much less been _annoyed_ by her touch.

“Something wrong, kitty?”

Chat’s eyes darted around frantically, unable apparently to find a suitable place to focus.  Ladybug gulped.

“No,” he practically gasped in exasperation, “I just need to make sure my friend is ok.  She goes to school near here, and I want to make sure she’s all right.”

Ladybug watched him, an immense stone of uncertainty and jealousy settling in her gut.

Chat sounded really concerned.  Perhaps he had already moved on?  Maybe that’s why he didn’t argue when Ladybug told him not to pursue Marinette in the suit?  He already had someone else.

“Oh,” was all she could say.  “Ok. I hope you find her, Chat.”  And without a response, he turned and bounded away.

Ladybug turned, her eyes nearly blurring with tears.

Was it really that easy for Chat to just move on from her?  It hurt her more than she could say. The beep of her earrings sounded for the third time, and she realized she had to get back before her transformation wore off, but she was quickly running out of time.

Blindly, she swung out and tugged, the string of her yo-yo pulling her over the rooftops at neck-breaking speeds.  When her school was in sight, she heard the frantic beeping of her earrings just before the transformation would fade, and she immediately dropped into a nearby alley, collapsing on the ground into a heap of pink light and tears.

* * *

 Felix couldn’t stop mulling over his conversation with Ladybug in his head.

It bothered him to no end that she knew who he was, and his rational mind told him she had to know him outside the mask.  There was no other way she could possibly have guessed his name, for he had never come into contact with her, had barely been in Paris for longer than a week, and had definitely not introduced himself at any point during their conversation.

The process of deduction led him to believe that he knew her somehow, but how?

There had to be some sort of magic protecting her (and Chat Noir’s) identity because every time he felt like he was making progress, it was like his mind suddenly became disinclined to solve the riddle.

He studied pictures and videos of her, her features, her voice, her mannerisms, and they all felt so _familiar_ , but he couldn’t place them.  Sometimes, he felt like he was close to figuring it out, and then his brain would take a detour like it _wanted_ to forget, like it _didn’t_ want to know, and it was like he had to start all over from scratch.

Try as he might, he was no closer to figuring out her identity the next morning when he woke up, or that afternoon as he walked through the streets of Paris.

Without even realizing he had been headed there, he came to a stop in front of Adrien’s school.

Whether it was because of the conversation with Ladybug, or just the random direction his feet took him, he was now mere meters away from Marinette.

It both excited him and filled him with dread.

He still hadn’t talked to her since he basically _dumped_ her, which was one of the hardest things he could remember doing.  And then, talking to Ladybug, he couldn’t stop wondering if maybe he had done the _wrong_ thing.  Maybe he deserved to be a little selfish.  Maybe Adrien had his chance for years and screwed it up all on his own.  Maybe it _wasn’t_ his job to make his brother happy, to tell his brother when he was missing out on something amazing.

Adrien wasn’t a little kid anymore.  Maybe, if he made a mistake, then Felix should just let him deal with the consequences.  Was it so bad to want Marinette for himself? If both he and Adrien wanted to be with her, then the choice was ultimately hers.

He could be the bigger man.  He could accept whatever choice Marinette made, even if it wasn’t him.

But then he went and made the choice for her.

Ladybug forgotten again, Felix dragged his hands over his face in chagrin, wondering if he was just trying to make excuses to justify possibly pursuing Marinette.  If she would let him, that is.

Just as he turned to walk back home, and resolved to return after school to have a talk with the girl who had been on his mind off and on for days, he heard screaming.  Curious, he started walking in the direction of the noise, despite every rational thought in his brain telling him to head home to safety.

He didn’t get very far before he saw a red figure vaulting over the buildings, disappearing down a street somewhere ahead.  And while he wanted to see an akuma battle up close, he still had enough presence of mind to stay at a relatively safe distance.

Just as he was within viewing distance of the battle, Chat Noir arrived, and Felix found himself distracted again.

The hero felt so... familiar.

His height, his build, the way his hair fell, his movements and gestures, the expression of his face.

Felix practically balked.

There was _no way_ he knew Chat Noir.

But... maybe there was.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the hero’s attitude, his whole aura of being, just kept on nagging at his subconscious, like he had seen it somewhere before.  Fascinated, he barely saw the actual fight, instead focused on the way the cat-themed hero jumped, and feinted, and parried with his baton. Then the battle was over, and Felix was surprised to find that he had managed to miss it even while looking right at it.

Shaking his head, the pale blond man backed away carefully, turning to head back toward the school.  He figured the day was almost over, and he shouldn’t have to wait long now to see Marinette.

_Marinette._

Her sky blue eyes swam over his vision, and he took a deep breath, exhaling in an effort to control the emotions surging within him.

He was only a block over from the school building when he saw a red shape drop behind a building across the street, almost as though falling.  Suddenly concerned that Ladybug may be hurt, he rushed into the alleyway just as a pink light flashed in front of his eyes, momentarily blinding him.

When the flashes cleared, he was left with the sight of Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on the dirty ground, sobbing into her knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while, but there's chapter 6. What did you think?
> 
> Let me know in a comment! I'm so grateful for each comment, kudo, and reader. I'll try to have another chapter out as soon as possible, hopefully next week!
> 
> <3 Muse


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix deals with Knowing Things™, Adrien tries acting like Chat Noir all the time, and Marinette is so confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, y'all. We interrupt your regular programming for a long dose of Brotherly Love.
> 
> I hope you like it! ^_^
> 
> Credits to my beta boo EpicLilKitty for reading this chapter before it was post ready. - Senpaiiiiii

Seeing Marinette there on the ground, her transformation dissolving before his eyes, was like the shattering of glass.  And the moment the veil lifted, he couldn’t unsee it, he couldn’t go back to not knowing. In fact, he suddenly didn’t know how he ever missed it, and wondered how everyone who knew her could possibly not make the connection.

And despite the fact that everything in Felix wanted to sink to his knees and comfort the crying girl ( _superhero- holy shit_ ), somewhere deep down he knew she would not welcome the implications of his presence.

Namely, that he knew who she was.

Silently as he could, he darted out of the alley, unnoticed by Marinette in her upset state.  As soon as he cleared the corner, though, he leaned against the wall of whatever building he was next to, exhaling a panicked breath, and looked upward at nothing in particular.

He steadied his breathing with great effort, blinking several times as though he could clear the image (and the resulting guilt of knowing) from his head, but to no avail.  When he finally felt like he had himself under control, he debated checking on Marinette, but decided she would likely be more embarrassed than relieved to be discovered in such a state.

It took all his willpower, but he slowly pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and walked back in the direction of Agreste manor, sick to his stomach just knowing that he was leaving her alone like that.

It was for the best.

She would not be happy to see him.

It would most likely just make her even more upset if she did.

She was probably still upset with him for essentially breaking things off between them.

Felix clenched his fists but continued on, eventually arriving home despite the fact he couldn’t recall the journey there.

Thankfully no one was there to stop him on his way to his room, and he reached the safety of its interior quickly, collapsing down onto the bed with his gaze directed at the ceiling.

A million and one thoughts raced through his head, not the least of which was the irony of the whole situation.

He judged his brother for having a crush on Ladybug, and wouldn’t it just be the turn of events that, unknowingly, he did, too.

Well, on Marinette, but they were the same person in his mind, not two different people.

Which brought him no little bit of irritation.

His brother had been pining after Ladybug ostensibly for the whole 3 years she had been active.  During those 3 years, he imagined Marinette had been doing the same for Adrien. Which meant, that Adrien had been overlooking Marinette for herself- albeit, he didn’t exactly _know_ that, but the principle was the same.

Adrien chased after an anonymous, idealized version of someone and unwittingly rejected that same person in the process.

It made Felix frustrated on Marinette’s behalf.

And it made him angry.

It was one thing when Adrien thought he was in love with someone he didn’t know.

It was a whole other level of offensive for him to love someone he _thought_ he didn’t know, but actually he _did_ , and effectively reject the known identity of the person he liked because he was in love with the anonymous side.

Could that get any more confusing or infuriating?

Bitterly, Felix came to a single conclusion.

_Adrien doesn’t deserve Marinette._

* * *

Adrien ran frantically through the halls, desperate but unable to find the girl he couldn’t get off his mind.

He searched through the locker room where she was last, then through _every other_ locker room, maintenance closet, and classroom she could possibly be hiding in.

He even got desperate enough to knock on the door to one of the girls’ restrooms, inching the door open and immediately letting it shut when he heard a shout of protest.

By the time he was ready to give up searching the school, it was basically empty as everyone had already been let out for the day.

Dejectedly he walked toward his locker, wondering whether he could make an excuse to Gorilla about needing to stay for something class-related, then transform and search for her again as Chat.

But when he entered the locker room, suddenly she was there, having not been there before, and she was sniffling and muttering to herself.

“I’ll be ok, really, it’s not-”

“Marinette?”

The startled girl whirled around so quickly it nearly gave Adrien whiplash just watching her.

“Adrien,” she panted in breathless surprise, “how long have you been standing there?”

The blond’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Um, a few seconds?” he responded, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms and stroke her hair in relief that he found her.

His relief was quickly replaced by concern, though, when he noticed her appearance.  Red nose and bloodshot, swollen eyes, and voice thick, it was clear that she had been crying.

No longer afraid of invading her space, he crossed the distance between them, a tender hand coming up to caress her cheek softly.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?”

The girl let out a breathy laugh, almost on the verge of tears again, before shaking her head and looking toward her feet to calm herself.

Clearing her throat, she answered:

“I’m fine, Adrien, but thanks for worrying.  I don’t really want to talk about it right now, but it means a lot to me that you care enough to ask.”

Both of his hands framed her face, wanting to take her at her word, but unable to do so.  Nose mere centimeters from her own, he looked into her eyes.

“Marinette, please, you can tell me anything.”

The noirette’s eyes shut in an expression of pain, and she took a deep breath before meeting his gaze again, sad half-smile softening her features.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.  I just..." she trailed off then, eyes darting to the side as though she felt unsure of what she was about to say.  “There’s this guy....”

Adrien sucked in a breath, able to feel her shifting on her feet as her head swayed in his hands.

“I, uh... he’s become really important to me, and recently he suggested he had an interest in someone else.”  The look on Marinette’s face left a hole in Adrien’s chest. “It just hurts, you know? When someone moves on, even if it wasn’t going to work out to begin with.”

He began softly stroking her hair, bringing an arm around her shoulders to hug her lightly against his chest, both to comfort her and to quell the burning anger rising in his chest.

Felix did this to her.

How could he do this to her?

Adrien wasn’t even aware that Felix had found someone new so quickly, but he remembered seeing the older blond with Kagami the other day, and wondered if that could be the new girl his brother was interested in.

Placing a soft kiss against her forehead, Adrien pulled back from the embrace, ducking down so that the two were on equal eye level.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” he told the devastated girl with complete conviction.  Sighing as though not convinced, her gaze fell to the floor, and Adrien raised her chin with a single knuckle, forcing her to look him in the eyes.  “Marinette. You’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever known. And if he can’t appreciate how wonderful you are, then he. Doesn’t. Deserve. You.” _Not like I want to._

Marinette gave him the first genuine smile he had seen that afternoon, nodding her head as though grateful.  Standing back up to full height, Adrien slung a single arm around Marinette’s shoulders, tossing both their bags over his own free one, and started leading her out of the locker room.  Gorilla must be getting anxious by then waiting for him.

“Come on,” he said.  “We can work on this project and get your mind on something else.”

When they reached the car, Adrien threw a quick prayer of thanks heavenward that Felix wasn’t there before entering the car behind Marinette.  As they pulled away, he grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers together, his heart in his throat.

Would that be ok with her?

The girl turned to him, somewhat surprised by the gesture, but quickly smiled.  It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

 _If it takes forever, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I’ll show you exactly how much you deserve to be loved_.

* * *

Adrien’s nervousness increased as the car got closer and closer to Agreste manor.  He started bouncing his knee unconsciously, twitching his fingers, and humming awkwardly to himself.  Marinette gave him a few questioning looks before he was able to stop the fidgeting, but it took quite a bit of effort on his part.

Finally they arrived after what felt like hours but in reality was no longer than 20 minutes.  He exited the car first, then turned to offer a hand as Marinette disembarked. And if she didn’t let it go right away, he acted like it was no big deal.

The front entrance door closed behind them, throwing the vast room into dimness.  Still holding her hand, Adrien gave Marinette a smile he hoped was reassuring before leading them up the stairs.  Once they reached his bedroom door, however, he turned suddenly around and tried not to look suspicious when he said:

“Actually, Marinette, I think I left a bit of a mess this morning when I left.  Do you mind if I clean it up real quick?”

The somewhat surprised girl only hesitated for a second before shaking her head.

“No, o-of course not.  Take all the t-time you need.”

Adrien nodded in return, though much more anxiously before darting into his door, careful not to open it too widely, and closing it behind him.

Once inside he leaned against it and exhaled in a mixture of relief and trepidation.

This particular plan seemed very smooth and Chat Noir when he thought of it earlier in the day, but now that he was to the point of executing it, and with Marinette feeling so down, he wasn’t too sure anymore.

But he couldn’t leave her waiting.

At the very least, he hoped it would cheer her up.

After several minutes, Adrien reopened the door, taking a breath for courage and gesturing into the room in welcome.

Marinette entered slowly, almost unsure, her gaze rapidly traveling over the room.

It was quite a large space, that much she already knew.  She had already been here several times, both as herself and as Ladybug.  But she had never seen his room like this.

There were rose petals strewn about the floor, some collected in bunches and bordering a picnic blanket on the floor, a few candles placed between them and bringing a war glow to the otherwise stark white room.  Marinette was overcome by an odd sense of familiarity as she took in the sight.

It was so much like a night on a rooftop some years ago...

She had turned a full circle without even realizing it, and when she came back around, she was surprised to see Adrien standing in front of her, a single rose in his hand, a half-smile decorating his face.

“What is all this?  When did you do this, and _why_?”

The boy gulped visibly, still holding the rose, which she took somewhat hesitantly.

“I just- I just wanted you to know how special you are, princess.  I know it’s all a little over the top, but I needed you to know that you are l- loved.”

Marinette stood there silently for a second, memory drawn back to a hero in black on her balcony late at night.

_It couldn’t be…_

“Wait, but, what did you just call me?”

Adrien’s eyes widened as though he was confused and a little worried.

“Uhh..."

“Oh my God, did- did _Chat Noir_ put you up to this?” she asked, her voice falling almost to a whisper in her unease.

“What? No, I-”

Marinette was shaking her head though, a hand raised in a request for silence.

“I’m sorry, I just-”

Adrien watched her anxiously, wondering how he ever thought this was a good idea.

“-I just need a minute,” she finished before turning around and exiting the room briskly.

Aimlessly she wandered the halls, unable to stop the movement of her legs, practically aching with restlessness.

Adrien’s gesture was so out of the blue, so out of character for him, she had no idea what it meant or where it came from.  And it was so similar to what Chat Noir had done for Ladybug, nearly identical, that she couldn’t help but feel panicked when she saw the set up laid out before her. When did he even find the time to do it, and why?

She would never admit it to anyone, but she still struggled with her feelings for him.  Despite the fact that he never showed interest in her as anything more than a friend, she couldn’t help the way his presence affected her.  But she knew she should move on, and she was trying. It was just her luck that the two other people she could see herself with were out of her reach.

Chat Noir was her partner, and she felt conflicted over what it would mean to reject him as Ladybug, and then turn around and love him as Marinette. If he ever found out who she was, would he be able to forgive her?  And the relationship was impossible as long as he was behind the mask- that much was clear. She couldn’t blame him for moving on with someone he could actually have a relationship with, even if it hurt more than she could say.  But really, was she any different?

She liked Felix, too, and that in and of itself was like a slap in the face of her feelings for Adrien _and_ Chat Noir.  And still, she couldn’t help the way she felt. Something about Felix drew her in. He was everything Adrien was, but she didn’t struggle with speaking to him.  Not to suggest that she only liked him because she didn’t find it hard to talk to him, but their conversation, their rapport came so easily and flowed so smoothly. Talking with him felt so natural, and they had chemistry, it was undeniable.

But none of these men were available to her.  Adrien has never shown her interest of any kind, and Felix rejected her before things could even progress between them. The only one to choose her was Chat, and he wasn’t free to make that choice to begin with.  In fact, if she was correct, then he didn’t choose her at all, which she knew was the way it had to be. All these thoughts flew tumultuously about her head while she continued to meander about the halls, beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t try to find her way back to Adrien’s room.

Slightly lost in the labyrinthian mansion, eventually she came upon an open door, and, curious, she peered in.

Inside, Felix sat on a couch, a book open in his hand, attention completely focused on the pages in front of him.

It only took Marinette a second to react, but it was a second too slow.  Almost as soon as she saw him, it was as though he could sense her gaze, and his head raised automatically, mouth parted expectantly.

As she turned to walk away, she heard him call to her.

“Marinette, wait!”

Barely three steps from the door, she saw no point in ignoring him.  Reluctantly, she paused in her tread, waiting for his inevitable emergence from the room.

“Marinette-” came his voice, and the way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine.  Then there was a hand on her arm, and she could feel bumps rising on her skin.

She turned gradually, in no rush to meet his eyes.

And, of course, when she did, they sent a shock straight through her.

It was only the night before that she had seen him as Ladybug, had seen him struggle with feelings for someone, ostensibly her, but he couldn’t know that.  She had to act like she didn’t hear any of those things he said.

And she was still broken up over Chat Noir, so any feelings she was experiencing were heightened because she was emotionally vulnerable.  It would be best if she said as little as possible, period.

“Can we talk for a moment, you and I?”

Those words took her back to the night he came over to her house to ask her out on a date, and she shut her eyes at the memory of his lips so close to hers.

Before Chat Noir arrived.

“O- ok,” she answered, afraid to say more.

As he turned to walk into his room, she followed behind, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch as him, hands folded and clasped in her lap.

“Are, uh, how are you?” he asked, clearly nervous.

“I’m fine.”  The fewer syllables the better.  She could feel her voice dangerously close to trembling.

“I am glad to hear it,” he responded, vision momentarily falling toward the floor, for all appearances unsure what to say next.

“There’s, uh, there’s something I want to say to you,” he continued eventually.  She nodded in acknowledgment. “I just, I wanted to discuss the topic of our last conversation with you.  When I said..." he cleared his throat, “when I said we shouldn’t pursue anything further.”

Marinette gulped, heart rate increasing.

“How- how do you feel about that?”

The girl’s brow furrowed in both confusion and agitation.  Was he serious? She thought she made it clear what she thought.

Felix exhaled a nervous breath, closing his eyes in discomposure.

Marinette could feel a wave of frustration cresting within her.

Then her control broke.

“What do I _think_?  Felix, what kind of question is that?”  The man looked at her, shocked at her sudden outburst.  “I mean, holy shit, I made it entirely clear that I wanted to keep seeing you, and you gave me some bullshit speech about letting me have what I always wanted, but, how is that your right to decide?!  I wanted you! And, yes, my feelings may be confusing sometimes, and I may not always know what to do about that, but there’s no one who knows what I want better than I do, so when I tell you-”

Her tirade was suddenly cut off by the pressure of lips against her own.  Just as quickly as they were there, they were gone, and Felix pulled back, breathing hard as he looked at her with remorse.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

Then it was Marinette who was crashing their lips together, her hands desperately grasping at his neck, his hair, his shoulders for purchase but too restless to settle for longer than a second.

Felix’s own came out to grip her waist, pulling them closer together as he parted her lips with his tongue, eliciting a groan from the angry girl in his arms.

It was anger that was fueling their frantic kiss, her anger at his disregard for her feelings, and his anger at himself for hurting the one person he had ever cared about this much, this way.

Then Marinette was pulling back, lips bruised and swollen, breath slightly haggard and shirt twisted around her midsection.  Unsure what to do now, they stared at each other for a moment before a distant voice reached their ears.

“-rinette!”

Adrien was looking for her.  Almost as though of the same mind, simultaneously, the pair released their hold on each other, Marinette reaching down to right her shirt, and Felix attempting to tame his hair by combing it with his fingers.

Within a matter of seconds, Adrien came into view of the doorway, stopping mid-step as he took in the two people in front of him.  Awkwardly he looked between them, taking in Felix’s disheveled appearance, and Marinette’s red lips and frumpled clothes, a stone sinking in his stomach.

“Marinette.  Felix.”

Felix cleared his throat as Marinette looked around distractedly.

“Adrien,” his brother replied.  “I was just... talking to Marinette.”

The younger Agreste looked between them again, gaze disbelieving but reserved.

“Right.”  Then he paused another moment.  “Actually, Mari, if, uh, if you’re not up for working on anything today, we can always reschedule.”  His eyes never left the petite girl, though she would not meet them with her own.

“O- ok.  That seems b- best,” she finally replied, a slight tremor in her voice.

Adrien nodded, his gaze flickering to the man seated beside her, eyes narrowing.

“If you’ll excuse us, Felix.”

The older male scratched his ear uneasily, nodding his head and turning to Marinette.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll call you then?  We can... talk?”

She nodded back, standing from the couch and resisting the urge to adjust her clothing as she walked past Adrien in the doorway.  Giving his brother one last look, he followed her down the hall and toward the entrance.

“I’m sorry about today,” he tried, and for a second it was as though Marinette was unsure what he was talking about.

“Oh!  Well, it’s ok, I guess.  I know you didn’t mean any harm.”  She gave him a nervous smile, wondering if she hadn’t overreacted a little.  After all, what were the chances of him talking about her to Chat Noir? Adrien opened the front door for her, and she shifted indecisively on her feet for a moment before timidly placing a quick kiss on his cheek.  “I’m sorry, Adrien,” she said simply, then walked outside.

The door closed behind her, and Adrien exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.  A resolute gleam in his eyes, the boy turned back toward his brother’s room, walking with an air of determination in its direction.

When he reached the doorway again, Felix was still sitting on the couch, a book in his hand, but he wasn’t looking at the pages.  Instead, he was staring off into space, a tiny quirk of his lips the only indication of what he was thinking.

“Felix,” his younger brother said.

The man startled slightly out of his trance, looking up as Adrien stood under the frame.

“Adrien.”

Both Agreste brothers looked at each other for a moment before Adrien broke the silence.

“I thought you were done with Marinette.”

The pale blond appeared to consider that before responding.

“I changed my mind.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes once more.

“You hurt her once.  Isn’t that enough?”

Felix’s jaw tensed, his eyebrow twitching.

“I could say the same about you.”

The look on the younger male’s face turned to one of confusion, but before he could say anything, Felix continued.

“If there is any choice to be made between yourself and me, then that is Marinette’s decision to make, do you not agree?”

His brother mulled this over, a look of determination taking over his features.

“Agreed,” he said, then held out a hand.  “May the best man win?”

Felix stared at it for a second before grasping it in his own.

“Agreed.”

* * *

Barely making it past the gates and around the wall, Marinette collapsed back against its support, shaking hand lifting to her lips, which were still flushed.  Her heart was racing, and her breathing was just returning to normal.

What the hell did she just do?  She and her stupid heart were making an even bigger mess of things.  How could she be upset about Chat when-

Oh.

Chat.

This was at least partly about Chat.

Marinette groaned, pushing away from the wall with her foot and resuming her trek homeward, school bag hanging from one shoulder.

That mangy goddamn cat.

But really, she couldn’t blame him for anything.  This was all her doing. She was feeling rejected by the fact that she suspected he found someone else, and with her feelings for Felix still unresolved, and her anger over both situations, she acted without thinking.

There was no going back, though.  Felix and her had some things to talk about, no matter how that conversation ended.  She needed to know where they stood so she could feel less conflicted, less lost.

Once she made it into the safety of her own room, she tossed her possessions on the couch, giving Tikki a cookie before she asked for a little time to think, and sat down beside her belongings.

She had her phone in her hands, but she didn’t know who she wanted to talk to.  She couldn’t talk to Adrien about it- that would be too weird, especially considering he was part of the confusion.

She couldn’t call Felix yet, either.  It was too soon, and her emotions were too unstable for that conversation.

The person she truly wished she could talk to was Chat, but that wasn’t going to happen.

And though she knew she was going to get some flak, and possibly some questionable advice, she needed to talk to _someone_ , so she pulled Alya’s contact up in her phone and pressed send.

Guilt weighed somewhat on her mind.  It wasn’t as though she didn’t like talking to Alya- on the contrary, she went to her with almost everything.  But the problem was, that Alya always had a scheme in mind, an angle to play, and Marinette just couldn’t deal with that at the moment.

Yet when Alya didn’t answer, she still felt disappointed.

Oh well.  What would she have told her anyway?  She couldn’t exactly talk about being Ladybug or the weird way it made her feel to be the girl Chat was in love with and then moved on from, as well as the girl he moved on _to_.

Sighing, she laid back on the chaise and stared up at the ceiling.  Before long, her eyes drooped drowsily, and she drifted off to a fitful sleep.

* * *

Marinette startled awake, sweating as she lurched upward, breathing hard.

It was then that she realized her phone was vibrating beside her, and she had a few missed calls- one from Adrien, one from Alya, and one from Felix.

Trying to wake up as much as possible but still feeling as though she was wading through a river of unconsciousness, she answered the call coming in, unable to even read much less process the name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey!  You called and I was calling you back.  So, how did everything go?”

Marinette could only sit there for a moment, silent and confused.

“Hello?” the voice asked.  “Earth to Mari? Girl, do I have to come over there and snap you out of your trance?”

“Hey, Alya, sorry, I just- I fell asleep and I’m having a hard time waking up.”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.  But, what were you doing home so early?  Weren’t you supposed to be at Agreste’s? Don’t tell me it was all business and no pleasure.”

Flashes of desperate hands and rough kisses flew through her mind, and she shook her head.

“Uh, no, not actually the way you would think.”

“Mar?  You all right over there?”

“Huh?”

“You sound really out of it.  Everything ok?”

“What?  Yea. I just... I’m kind of confused about something that’s all.”

“Mm, I see.  And are you planning on sharing?”

“Well, it’s- I don’t know how much of this is going to make sense, and there are things I can’t really explain, so just- can you be ok with that?”

“How about you just start talking, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

“Ok,” Marinette shook her head, trying to clear her drowsy thoughts.  “I guess I should preface this by telling you a little more about Chat Noir.”

“I’m listening.  It’s long overdue, but I’m listening.”

“Ok, so just, hold all questions for the end, ok?”

“Noted.  Go on.”

“All right, well, Chat’s been stopping by to visit me randomly for a few years.  Mostly when he’s passing by, he’ll drop onto the roof and we’ll sit outside for a while.  On a rare occasion or two, he’s come inside to watch movies and snack on unsold pastries from the bakery.  Sometimes he would take me with him to some obscure rooftop he found somewhere with an amazing view.”

“Ok...”

“But, I guess in the last year or so, I’ve started noticing him, in new ways?  Like, before, it was all friendly banter and brushing off his flirtations, and then somewhere along the line, I just... _noticed_ him.  And not in a ‘he’s a hot guy in skin-tight leather’ kind of way, but more like ‘he has the most incredible laugh, and ridiculous sense of humor, and he’s so genuine and caring and frankly _lonely_ that it makes me want to cry’ sort of way.  Somewhere along the line, he became so much more than an anonymous superhero who saves the city to me.  He was a friend, and I kind of wished he would see me the same way I saw him.”

There was silence on the line.

“Alya?”

“Girl, how come you’re _just now_ telling me this?”

“I’m sorry,” the noirette sniffed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes.  “I just didn’t want him to think I was spreading it around, like I wanted everyone to know that Chat Noir is my friend and he makes house calls for me, like he was a leg up on being famous by association, like I didn’t love and value him for who he was under the mask- whoever that is.  And it was kind of like our secret, you know? Like it was special because we didn’t share it with anyone else. At least, for me.” She laughed humorlessly. “I can’t speak for him.”

“All right, babe.  You’re forgiven. Why don’t you tell me the rest.”

Marinette exhaled a breath.  This was the tricky part.

“So this is where I’m going to have to ask you not to pry because there are some things I just can’t tell you, ok?”

Her tone was hesitant, but she answered anyway, “All right.”

“Well, I told you about that time he showed up when Felix was here, but the truth is, I saw him again after Felix told me we couldn’t be more than friends.  He came to the balcony, and Alya, he was so sweet and so loving, and he made me feel things that I didn’t know he could. He made me feel wanted, like I was something special.”

“Marinette, you _are._ ”

“I know you say that Alya, but it’s just- it’s different coming from him.  He’s always been in love with _Ladybug_ , you know?”  And when she said the name, she said it with bitterness.  “But that night, she wasn’t the one he cared about more than anything... it was me.  And he kissed me, Alya, and it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. He said he was in love with _me_ , you know?  Somehow, I managed to win over Chat Noir, when he’s supposed to be in love with Ladybug, and I don’t know how that’s even possible.”

“Wow.  That’s... that’s incredible.”

“And then-” Marinette sighed, trying to take calming breaths.  “And then, we both know, there’s no way it’s ever going to work.  It’s not-”

“What!?  Why not?”

Marinette laughed lightly.

“Not shipping me with Adrien anymore, Alya?”

“Girl, you know Adrinette will always be endgame in my heart, but _holy shit, Marinette._  You have the hero of the city and the _sweetest heart_ that ever existed, literally sweeping you off your feet, and you’re gonna tell him it isn’t going to work?”

“Alya, please, it wasn’t just me- it was both of us.  There’s just- there’s no way. It’s too dangerous, for both of us, and for my family.  Can you imagine what would happen if word got out that Chat has a civilian girlfriend?”

“Marinette, don’t you see?  How is that any different than him coming to visit you on your balcony?  How can you separate the two?”

“We’d never be able to get any closer than we are, Alya.  There’s no way. We could never take any steps forward, not seriously, until the day he can tell me who he is and it’s safe.  But who knows when that could be, and I can’t ask him to wait for a day that may never come. I can’t expect him to hold out for me when he should be moving on with his real life, with real people, who can see his face and not be afraid to know his name, and that just _isn’t me-_ ”  At the end, Marinette’s voice broke, and she stifled a sob, breathing deeply in and out to gain control over herself.

“Mari, honey, it’s ok.  You don’t have to explain it to me- you know I’ll always have your back, right?  Always, girl. You and me. You couldn’t lose me if you tried.”

“You don’t know what that means to me, Alya.”

“Mari love, you’re my best friend, number one.  Now, I feel like there’s more you want to tell me but are avoiding it.”

Marinette groaned, realizing just how well her best friend knew her.

“Ok.  Just, give me a second.”

She took another deep breath for courage.

“So, I happened to overhear Chat after the akuma today, and he was talking about some girl he wanted to check on.  And it just hit me- he has this whole other life with all these people I don’t know, and I think there’s a girl in that life of his who’s special to him.  He sounded so desperate to find her, and as far as I know, no one was even injured during the whole thing, so for him to be that concerned-”

“He must really care for her,” Alya finished for her.

“Yea,” Marinette whispered.  “But that’s still not even all.  And I’m going to have to do a little backstory again, so, bear with me?”

“Sure thing.”

“Ok.  Well, the first time I ever met Chat in every day life was with Evillustrator, but the first time I interacted with him in a friends kind of way was the night of Glaciator.  Do you remember when I accidentally got Andre akumatized because I was disappointed about Adrien? Well, after that, I was at home sulking on my roof, and Chat just showed up.  He was feeling as bad as I was, because apparently he tried to set up a surprise date for Ladybug, and she never showed. And when he saw me standing there, he decided to show me instead.  It was so beautiful, Alya. He covered an entire rooftop with this romantic picnic set up, roses and rose petals and candles everywhere. It was breathtaking. And he was so sad, and so serious, and it just broke my heart.  He gave me a rose, and he cheered me up, even though he felt like shit, and I think that was the first time I saw him as a real person with real feelings.”

“Holy shit, Marinette.  I had no idea.”

“Yea,” the noirette laughed somewhat bitterly.  “But the thing is, I went to Adrien’s today for our project?  And when I got to his room... Alya please don’t read anything into this, but his room was set up just like that, and he called me princess the way Chat does, and he told me I deserve to know someone loves me and it just- like, that’s almost exactly what Chat Noir said to me the other night, and he called me _Chat's nickname_ _,_ Alya, and I couldn’t help it.  I ran out of the room. I accused him of talking to Chat Noir about me. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s all some ridiculous coincidence, right? I mean, Adrien would never do something like that. _Chat_ would never do something like that, and mess with my feelings, right?”

Alya wanted to respond, but the gears were turning in her head.  Thankfully, Marinette plowed on.

“And then I just wandered around the mansion forever, and I ended up running into Felix, and then I kissed him because I was angry and emotional and an idiot, and now he wants to talk, and _I don’t know what to do, Alya._ ”  She broke off into a whimper, her voice suddenly small.  “I feel so lost. I don’t know what I feel.”

Her mind was calculating as the speed of light, but those words got through to her.

“Marinette, it’s going to be ok, I promise.  Ok?  Just, answer me this. If you could choose any of the three boys right now, and there were no secret identities or complicated family relationships to get in the way, who would you want to be with?”

Marinette thought hard, feeling like it was a difficult decision, but mostly because the answer was impossible.

“I would want to be with Chat Noir.  But that can never happen.”  
  
“It’s ok, I know.  We’re just talking through you feelings.  Just, stay with me, ok?  Now, answer me this: If Chat Noir turned out to be someone you knew, would you be disappointed, or relieved?”

“...What?  I- I don’t know.  That would mean that he could have pursued me as himself and chose to hide behind a mask, and I don’t know if I can handle that.”

“Ok, ok, I understand, but just, let me leave you with this:  Suppose that Chat Noir could be someone you know in his civilian life, but you never truly saw him, so the only way he could get close to you, was to win you over while wearing a disguise.  Do you think that person might be worth forgiving?”

Marinette scrunched her eyes shut, her hand coming up to grasp one side of her head as it began to ache with exhaustion and frustration and confusion.

“I don’t know right now, Alya.  I mean, what are the odds of that, right?”

“Yea, girl.  You’re right.  Those must be incredibly small odds for us to actually know a superhero.”

There was a brief moment of silence as both girls weighed the information they just shared.  Marinette fidgeted with a pillow in her fingers, unsure what to say next. Finally, Alya spoke.

“Honey, just remember this: anyone that you choose is the right choice because you will never choose someone who is wrong for you, and I believe that.  All this confusing mess, all this bullshit will work itself out. Life has a funny way of doing that. And if you’re ever unsure about _anything_ , then _I want you to call me._  And I mean, there’s nothing you can’t tell me, ok?  No matter what it is, I will take it to my grave, and I’ll never tell a soul.  Are we clear?”

“Yea,” Marinette mumbled quietly.

“Good.  Now, I’m of the opinion that you could use some rest after this incredibly stressful day.  Do you want to sleep on this and talk some more about it tomorrow?”

Marinette smiled half-heartedly.

“Yea.  That’d probably be best.  Thanks, Alya. You’re a better friend than I deserve.”

“Girl, please.  Tell me something I don’t know.”  There was a smile in her voice, and it warmed her best friend’s heart.  “Goodnight, babe. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” Marinette replied, ending the call and placing her phone by her bed before crawling underneath the sheets.  And almost before her head even touched the pillow, she was fast asleep.

* * *

Adrien was finishing some last minute homework, though his mind was completely unfocused.  Ever since Marinette left that afternoon, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he did wrong.  Of course it was too much too soon. How could he think she would just transfer her feelings like that?

In the middle of his musings, he noticed his phone begin to vibrate.  With some anticipation, he lifted it to view the caller, hoping it was Marinette, but not surprised when it wasn’t.  He was surprised, however, to see that the person calling him so late at night was Alya.

“Hello?” he answered, confusion evident in his tone.

“Well, hello there, sunshine.  I was hoping we could have a little _chat_.  Any idea where I can find Adrien Chat Noir Agreste?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise known as the fic in which everyone knows before Adrien and Marinette.
> 
> So, how did you feel about it? Like it? Love it? Not so much? Let me know! I love comments :))
> 
> And thanks for reading 
> 
> <3 Muse


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya confronts Adrien, Adrien attempts to make amends with Marinette, and the rivalry between Adrien and Felix continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya don't fuck around, y'all. XD

Adrien sat in stunned silence, unable to swallow past the dry lump in his throat, unable to breath as his lungs no longer seemed to function, and unwilling to blink lest the entire world shift on its axis in the millisecond his eyes were closed.

He exhaled a dry puff of air, not unlike an old, dying man, and attempted to stop the shaking in his hands, his legs, his voice, his entire being.

After more seconds than would make his ignorance believable, he finally croaked:

“Who?”

“Don’t you pull that shit with me, Adrien Agreste, or I might just skin you like a real cat, and then we’ll see how well Ladybug saves Paris without her personal human-catboy shield.”

Was it safe for his heart to be beating this fast?  There was no way this was healthy.

Doing his best to clear his throat (and failing), he squeaked out:

“I’m confused, Alya.  What are you talking about?”

“Adrien Agreste!  Don’t play stupid with me, and don’t think me stupid.  I’m am _this close_ to marching straight over there and kicking your leather-wearing ass, hero or not, so don’t. Fuck. With. Me.”

Plagg hovered by his head, very real concern evident on his tiny face which mirrored the fear and alarm on his chosen’s.

Adrien knew Alya, and when she was stuck on an idea, correct or not, she would _never_ let it go.  There was no getting out of this.

“A- alright, Alya.  I- I’m here. But, h- how did you figure it out?”

He could hear her breathe in deeply as though calming herself down, and though her voice was very level when she replied, he could detect the intensity and anger behind it.

“You know, when you plan on wooing a girl, first as your secret identity, and then as yourself, it’s usually not a good idea to leave such obvious fucking breadcrumbs connecting the two.  I mean, really? Replicating a set up that you already tried to use on _Ladybug?_  Calling her by the same nickname?  That’s just, kind of low, Adrien, not to mention the fact that you literally told her it wouldn’t work, then turned around once you took off your mask and tried to win her over by acting like the very person who rejected her.”

Adrien felt like he could die of shame.

“Is there a reason, catboy, why you consider it perfectly fine to toy with your friend’s feelings by first stringing her along as Chat Noir and rejecting her, only to try to make her like you as Adrien by acting like the boy who just broke her heart?”

All the blood, and the color with it, drained from his face, cold dread settling over his body.  He never meant to play with Marinette’s feelings. Why would Alya say that?

“Alya, I- I never meant to make her feel that way.  D- did Mari s- say that?”

The girl sighed in exasperation, and he could practically see her pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Not in those words, but _damnit_ , Adrien.  You _fucked up._  She is so confused.  Not to mention when she heard Chat say he was looking for someone earlier today, she got the distinct impression he already moved on to someone else, and then you turn around and pull this bullshit.”

“But- but I was talking about her-

“Yea.  No duh.  You think I didn’t fucking figure that out?  That’s kind of a big piece of this whole thing, don’t you think?  I mean, Jesus, Adrien, I can’t believe no one else has figured it out yet with how fucking obvious you are.”

Adrien couldn’t stop thinking.  But, wait-  
  
“But, I didn’t see Marinette after the akuma attack.  I was talking to Ladybug, and Marinette wasn’t there. How could she have heard that?”

Alya felt something click into place, and she hurried to reassure the oblivious boy.

“Y- you know what?  I- I misspoke. She saw that in the video I recorded.  I mean- I recorded that, but th- that part didn’t get posted on the Ladyblog, so don’t worry.  No one else will ever know.”

Adrien hesitated.

“O...k.”

“Look.  Adrien. I’m just going to tell you this because you’re my friend, and because I think in some weird, twisted way, you and Marinette belong together, and I want you both to be happy, even though I low-key also want to string you up and hang you from a bridge right now.”

“...Thanks?”

“Just... don’t do anything stupid... _again_.  And, if I were you, I would be extra careful about how you play this because, if you don’t seriously fuck up again, there’s a real chance Marinette could choose you _and_ still manage to forgive you once she figures out what you did.”

“What do you mean, choose me?  Choose me over... who?”

“Adrien,” she said on a sigh, “you know how amazing Marinette is, and to be honest, all your years of keeping her ‘just a friend’ aren’t doing you any favors right now.  Not only does she think Chat Noir doesn’t want her, but she thinks Adrien could never see her in any way more than platonic. She’s always been chased by guys, but she’s never paid real attention to any of them... until Felix.”

Adrien’s fist clenched beside him.

“Felix.”

“Yea, Felix.  Look, your brother’s a good guy, I think, and he’s made some mistakes like you, but you have to realize, Marinette is incredibly loyal.  Once she picks someone, it takes a lot to make her let go. Just, don’t make the mistake of letting her choose Felix. You’ll never get her back if you do.”

He nodded to himself, a stone sinking in his stomach.

“Got it.”

“And, Adrien?”

“Yea?”

“I’m glad you finally woke the fuck up.  It’s about time.”

Adrien breathed out a slightly bitter laugh.

“Yea.  Me too,” he said, hanging up and placing his phone down on the desk in front of him, staring into the empty space around him.  “Hopefully not too late.”

* * *

In her room, Alya sat back against the headboard of her bed, pondering what she just heard.

“ _...Marinette wasn’t there._ ”

The redhead tried to think it through, tried to come up with any possible reason that Marinette could have overheard what Chat said, why she wouldn’t know when she wasn’t even around, but she couldn’t.

If she was there, why would Chat have been complaining about not being able to find her?

If she wasn’t there, how did she know?

If she knew, what did that mean?

Dragging two tired hands down her face, the girl groaned.

It would make so much sense, her brain supplied.  Marinette was always missing around Akumas. She never saw her and Ladybug in the same place before.  Marinette always had the strangest, most unbelievable excuses for where she had been. She had fought off akumatizations before.  For the love of God, _she looked just like her_.

She was comfortable letting a superhero visit her on a frequent basis, like she wasn’t afraid of what might happen to her.

All the signs pointed to one thing that Alya just didn’t want to accept.

Because if she did, then she would have to accept that she had been chasing her own tail all this time.

Because if she did, then that would mean that her skills as an investigative journalist were completely shoddy, or she had a serious blindspot that she needed to work on.

Because if she did, that would mean that her best friend was Ladybug, and she had been so close to the truth all along.

Now she finally uncovered the identity of the girl behind the mask, and could never reveal it.  Not that she wanted to anymore, anyway, not since she realized the burden of being a Miraculous holder, but it was like, on some level, she was so validated by this discovery, and she could never tell a soul.

Never tell a soul.

Those were the words she used when she was talking to Marinette.

She promised her that, no matter what, she could confide in her, and no one would ever know.

And, yea, maybe Marinette _didn’t_ confide _this_ to her, but she was very familiar with just how seriously Ladybug took identities.  Hell, she trusted Alya with a Miraculous. Marinette didn’t need to prove she trusted her best friend.  She already had.

And come hell or high water, she was going to prove that trust was not misplaced.

* * *

It was a very weird day, and Marinette was confused.

This morning, she left her house at the usual ten minutes later than she should, practically tripping on her way out, only to discover two very odd things:  
  
Adrien Agreste was about to knock on her door, and

Felix was just a few meters away, headed in her direction.

Barely emerging from the interior, she lurched to a stop, wondering if she was in the middle of a questionable dream brought on by Alya’s teasing.

“Marinette-” both boys said in tandem.

Surprised to find he wasn’t alone, Adrien turned around, catching sight of and exchanging looks with his brother, who was lumbering up beside him.

Watching the two blonds stare at each other for a second, Marinette mused that, if they were cats, Adrien’s hackles would be raised, and Felix’s tail would be lashing.

To be honest, she was not awake enough to deal with this.

“Umm, hi?  What are you both doing here?” Marinette asked.  Like an eerie horror film, both turned their heads to look at the girl in front of them.  Brushing off the oddity, she added, “I’m going to be late for school. I really have to go,” before passing between the two of them, taking off at a fast walk in the direction of the school building.

“I wanted to offer you a ride-” she heard at the same time as “I was hoping we could talk on your way-”

Losing precious seconds (and in very real danger of being late), Marinette spun, still walking, but in reverse.

“I don’t really have enough time to talk right now, Felix,” she answered, noting how weird it was that Adrien appeared quite pleased with her response, whereas Felix was visibly disappointed.  “But how about I meet you after school?” And just like that, the expressions on the two brothers’ faces switched so that Adrien began scowling, and Felix looked pleased.

Bowing slightly, the older Agreste replied, “I’ll see you then, my queen,” throwing Adrien a look Marinette didn’t understand, and turning to walk back toward Agreste manor.

Adrien ambled up by Marinette’s side, doing his best to match her unexpectedly brisk pace.

“You know, you don’t have to do that.”

“What?” she asked, confused.

“You don’t have to talk to him.  I mean, I know he’s been kind of a jerk.  Maybe he doesn’t deserve your time.”

Just like that, the girl stopped walking, and Adrien whirled around, surprised to find her several steps behind him.

“Excuse me?”

The blond looked around as though trying to search for a sign of what he said wrong.

“Umm, did I... I mean- is that- is that wrong?”

Despite the fact she was probably late at this point, Marinette stood rooted to the spot for a moment as she looked at the man she had been agonizing over for years.

“Oh my God.”

Cheeks flushing, Adrien stared back at her, unsure what to do or say.

“What is it with men and trying to decide what’s best for me?”

“... _what_?”

She started walking again, brushing past Adrien with something bordering on hostility as he scrambled to catch up.

“You know,” she said as she passed him, “if I wanted your advice, I would have asked for it.  And if you think you’re just trying to help, then don’t, because I don’t believe for a second that this is about trying to do what’s right for _me_.  You men- no, you _boys_ : you’re always thinking that you have this unequivocal understanding of what the women in your life need.  Well, _save it,_  Agreste, because for once in my life, I’m absolutely fucking fed _up_ with being told what’s I should do.  My choices are _mine_ , and if you don’t agree with that, then, honestly, just keep it to yourself.”

And with that, she increased her speed, walking into the school several seconds ahead of him, just as the late bell rang.  Adrien slowed, then stopped, turning to wave away his chauffeur before passing through the doors. He purposely took his time so that Marinette would be gone from the lockers by the time he made it there.

As expected, when he walked through the doorway of the locker room, it was empty.  Suddenly unconcerned about being late to class, Adrien sat down on the bench, running a trembling hand through his hair and wondering how he had managed to make everything worse.

* * *

When Marinette stormed into the classroom, practically breathing fire, and barely acknowledged her teacher’s reprimand for tardiness, Alya knew something was up.

As subtly as she could, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, texting the girl who sat beside her.

_What’s up?_

Watching Marinette out of the side of her eye, Alya could see her nose flare and her head give a slight shake as she read the message, only sending back one brief word in reply:

_Later._

Alya nodded, knowing she would get all the details at the earliest opportunity.  And when, just a few minutes later, the blond who sat in front of them practically crawled into the classroom with his tail between his legs, expression similar to that of a kicked puppy ( _or kitten_ , she mused) she knew that _something_ had happened.  As though to confirm her suspicions, she heard Marinette give a barely-audible scoff beside her.

_Well, shit._

* * *

“He said _what_?”

Marinette exhaled again, somewhat frustrated from having to repeat herself, but mostly annoyed by the entire debacle.

“He tried to insinuate that I didn’t need to waste my time on Felix, like if he has any place to say that.  I mean, seriously, who do these boys think they are? First Felix, and now Adrien? Why can’t people just let me make my own damn decisions?” she asked to no one in particular, her words coming out in a huff.  “And you know, they’re both kind of to blame- it’s not like either one of them is in a position to throw stones,” she added, crossing her arms over her chest. “They’ve _both_ fucked up.”

Alya watched Marinette, her expression and words measured.

“You’re absolutely right, Mar- Adrien has no place to tell you who you should or shouldn’t spend your time with.  But, I mean, can you maybe consider his perspective for just a second? Yea, maybe intentions aren’t everything, but is it possible he was just trying to look out for you, as misguided as it was?”

Marinette stared into space for a moment, a stubborn set to her jaw as she mulled over her friends words.  Alya was pretty sure she was softening the girl’s ire, so she continued.

“Really, though, Mar, maybe Adrien just cares about you enough to feel overprotective of you.  Sure, he went about it the wrong way, but, is that really so bad? Having someone care about you enough to want to keep you from doing something that might end up disappointing you?”

Just as she begin to see the ice thaw, something flashed in the girl’s eyes.

“That’s exactly what Felix thought he was doing, and isn’t it just fitting that his brother is the same?”  Marinette rose up and gathered her things gruffly. “Maybe Adrien should be like his brother enough to know when he’s made a mistake, and own up to it.”  Readjusting her grip on the bag resting on her shoulder, she sighed. “Alya, I just- I’m _so tired_ of men thinking they somehow have the right or the wisdom to decide what will make me happy, and not letting me to decide for myself.  Maybe I overreacted with Adrien, but I’m not going through what I went through with Felix again. If he wants to be my friend, then he needs to support me and let me make my own choices- mistakes or not.”

“I understand, girl.  And I’m sure if you give him a moment to talk, then you can be clear this up together.  We both know that boy is too oblivious to know when he’s done something truly stupid. Just, give him a chance to tell you what he was thinking, and if you still don’t like what he has to say, then let him know you won’t tolerate his interference.  He’ll get the message, and I’m betting he’ll be too worried about losing you as a friend to disregard your boundaries again.”

Marinette inhaled deeply, releasing the breath as the bell to end lunch rang.  She stood for a second, waiting for Alya to rise from the bench, and frowning when it didn’t happen.

“Aren’t you coming?” the waiting girl asked.

“Oh!”  Alya pulled her phone out of her pocket.  I’ll be there in a sec. Just gotta make a quick call.  See you in a minute?”

“O...k,” Marinette replied hesitantly, slowly exiting the locker room alone.

Alya watched her go, pretending to lift her phone to her ear until she was sure her friend was well out of hearing range.

“All right, Agreste, I know you’re there,” she called out to the air.  “You better get your ass out here before I drag you out.”

There was a slight scuffling of shoes before a blushing Adrien appeared from the other side of a row of lockers.

“I, uh, I was getting something from my locker when I heard you two come in here.  I figured it would be best to avoid Marinette until she cooled down, so I just waited it out.  I didn’t realize you would be talking this long,” he added, laughing awkwardly.

“Mmhmm,” the redhead responded, narrowing her eyes.  “You can make all the excuses you want to, Agreste, but we both know you can be a nosy little Nellie.  But I wanted you to hear some of that, anyway, because Lord knows when Marinette is going to feel like talking to you again.”

Then she patted the bench in front of her, order obvious.  Adrien swallowed as he took the seat.

“All the same, blondie, I may have told Marinette you had good intentions, but we both know there was a little selfish-Adrien angle behind your nugget of wisdom this morning.”

Adrien’s mouth parted, eyes darting around nervously.

“But you said not to let her choose Felix-”  
  
“Yea!” she cut him off.  “By making her realize how you feel about her, you dimwit!”  The girl raised a hand, pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes.  “Adrien, you _cannot_ try to manipulate Marinette into choosing you.  You have to prove to her that she’s the only one for you, that you’re always going to feel that way, not get distracted when a _superhero_ swings by and catches your attention.”  At this, she gave him a pointed look, which made him flush, expression sheepish.

“It’s not like that.  She knows I’m not in love with Ladybug anymore.”

Alya bit her lip to keep from saying something she couldn’t take back.

“She knows _Chat Noir_ isn’t in love with Ladybug-” _that he knows of_ “-but not _Adrien_.  We’ve known about your little celebrity crush for a while now, sunshine, and I hate to break it to you, but Marinette’s never felt like she could compete.”

Adrien paled, his jaw falling open.

“You- you mean, she thinks I’d never be interested because I’m too hung up on _Ladybug_?”

Alya nodded, watching as the blond boy in front of her took this information in.  As the look on his face turned queasy, she consciously leaned back.

“You ok there, sunshine?”

“I guess that may have been true once, but I just- _fuck_ , I can’t believe what an idiot I’ve been.”  His eyelids fell closed, both his hands coming up to pull at the skin of his face in exasperation as he groaned.  “ _Goddammit._ ”

“Hey,” she tried to comfort him, resting a hand on his shoulder.  “It’s not too late, you know? You could still turn this around. I mean, you do have sort of an advantage.  Not only are you Chat Noir, who Marinette is undeniably in love with, but she loved _Adrien_ first, and I don’t think she ever really stopped.  It wasn’t easy for her, having feelings for Chat. She doesn’t exactly switch her feelings from one person to another very easily.  The fact that you made her love you twice? That’s pretty big.”

Adrien stared into space, the wheels turning in his head.

“You just have to make her see it,” Alya finished.

Then, as though something clicked into place, Adrien’s eyes took on a gleam that made the amateur reporter wonder whether she should be excited or concerned.

“Thanks, Alya.  That’s just what I needed to hear.”

* * *

Alya was almost back in class (a little late, but oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time) when she remembered something she said to Adrien.

At the sudden epiphany, she froze, hand on the doorknob, gaze unseeing.

 _Shit_.

And she was always the one who was supposed to be good at keeping secrets.

* * *

Adrien practically skipped to his next class, completely high on the rather incredible bit of information Alya let slip:

Marinette was in love with him.

Well, she was in love with _Adrien_ , or had been once, at least.

Felix had suspicions, but hearing it from her best friend eliminated all the doubts in Adrien’s mind.  It was like, until that moment, he didn’t really believe it was true.

All the odd things she had done over the years, which, though incredibly cute, he never understood, suddenly made sense.  The blushing, the stammering, the clumsiness (well, at least _some_ of it), the photos-

Oh my God, the _photos._

He completely forgot about that until now.

She used to have his photos all over her room!

Adrien actually did a skip then, closing in on the door leading to his class.

She was in love with him!  Adrien him! And then she fell in love with Chat Noir!  Suddenly, Adrien didn’t think of himself as the most unlucky guy in the world; he thought of himself as the absolute, without a doubt, rivalling the lady of fortune herself, _luckiest_ person who ever existed.

Just before he pushed open the door, he let himself do a little excited shimmy, promptly schooling his expression afterward into one of contrition for being late to class.

Felix didn’t stand a chance.

* * *

As Marinette headed for the exterior doors, a head of blond hair suddenly appeared in front of her.  To her surprise, Adrien was standing in her way, an odd mixture of fear and glee evident on his face.

“Marinette.  I just wanted to say I’m sorry for this morning.  It was out of line, and I never meant to imply that I have any right to say who you should or shouldn’t talk to.  You don’t have to say anything, or forgive me, but just know that I’ll never do anything like that again. You’re my friend, more than anything, and I completely respect your boundaries.  From now on, if you want my input, then I know you’ll ask for it. Otherwise, my lips are sealed.”

She watched him, mouth open, shocked silent.

“Oh!” he quietly exclaimed.  “I, uh, I brought you something.  To say I’m sorry.” Out from behind his back, he pulled out a small, delicate white orchid.  “I didn’t think a rose would be a good idea, considering-”

Marinette continued to stare, mute.

“I wanted to give you a flower that’s as rare and beautiful as you are, and this was the closest I could find, although, I don’t think it really measures up.  You’re really one of a kind, Mari. There’s no one else like you.”

The girl before him began blinking slowly, gaze transitioning gradually to the bloom in her hands, then back to the boy who gave it to her.

“I have to go,” he said, mouth crooked into a half-smile.  “Fencing today.”

Just as he began to turn away, Marinette managed to squeak out:

“Th- thank you.”

It was like the sun had suddenly switched on in the darkness of the night.  Adrien’s entire being lit up, his small half-smile morphing into a face-splitting grin.

Somewhat timidly, he leaned forward, hesitating a second as though waiting for her to push him away before ever so lightly kissing her cheek.

“I’ll see you.”

Then he walked toward the interior of the building, briefly turning around to give her another grin and a wave.  Marinette found herself weakly waving back, cheeks practically on fire.

“B- bye!” she called, but it was much too quiet to be heard, and then he was gone.

Marinette shook her head to bring herself out of her daze, pushing out through the main doors with unsteady arms.  It wasn’t until she reached the lowest step that she remembered who would be waiting for her at the bottom.

Lost in her thoughts, a gentle clearing throat startled her out of her reverie just as she came to the last step, and she found herself meeting a pair of grey-blue eyes with her own, though she had to lift her head to do so.

Felix gave her a slightly apprehensive nod of his head, his eyebrow quirking minutely when he caught sight of the flower in her arms.

“Hey,” she greeted him, though it came out somewhat breathlessly.

“Hello,” the tall man returned.  An awkward silence passed between them.  “Are you-” his voice cut off, and he cleared it again.  “Are you ready?”

Marinette nodded timidly, ducking her head as she began strolling casually toward home.  Felix fell into step beside her, and for a few seconds, neither said anything.

“I was hoping we could talk somewhere with fewer people,” he finally commented, gaze darting about at the crowds of people around them.

“Well, I could take my stuff home, and then we can go somewhere if you like?  Just you and me?”

Felix looked down at the girl next to him, reassured by the small smile on her lips, his tense expression softening into fondness.

“I would like that very much.”

Marinette smiled a bit wider before both faced forward again.

“May I help you?”

She startled slightly, turning to Felix with a questioning look.

“What?”

“May I help you?  Would you like me to carry anything for you?”

“Oh,” she answered, eyes falling awkwardly to the objects in her arms.  “A- all right.”

He reached out, carefully taking some of the materials from her grasp so that she was only holding Adrien’s flower in one hand, the other hanging limply at her side.  Shifting the books to his other arm, with his free hand, Felix hesitantly ventured to grab her own, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing the back of her hand and causing her to start slightly.

She looked between them, his open palm waiting, raising her eyes to look into his own, which met her gaze with uncertain hope.  Marinette swallowed, then slowly entwined her fingers with his, her racing heart belying the calm of her composure.

They walked, hand in hand, in silence until they reached the bakery, at which point Marinette relinquished her grip and opened the side door, passing into the stairwell as Felix followed.  She gave him as reassuring a smile as she could, then headed up the stairs and into the main apartment with Felix close behind.

* * *

“So, Adrien, when is the match against your brother supposed to take place?  I can tell you have been much more focused lately. Preparing, perhaps?”

Adrien looked up from where he was tugging on his gloves, smirking dryly.  Finally completely ready except for his mask, which was raised, he slammed his locker shut.

“Whenever Felix feels prepared,” he answered, returning Kagami’s curious gaze head on.  “I’m ready.”

His frequent fencing partner raised an eyebrow, tucking her helmet under an arm.

“Confident, are we?”

Adrien released a low chuckle, mirroring her raised eyebrow.

“You tell me.”

The stoic girl shook her head, lifting her helmet in both hands and pulling it down over her head, mask lifted to reveal her face.

“Come on, Agreste.  Show me what you got.”

* * *

Adrien was used to sparring against Kagami.  As the two relatively most skilled fencers on the team, they often paired together to provide the greatest challenge to each other, an effort to increase the other’s skill.

The thing was, though, that Kagami had always been a little bit better than Adrien, especially when he was distracted.

But recently, and especially today, as though his confidence gave him greater agility, his red-suited partner found herself struggling to keep up.

Monsieur D’Argencourt stopped then just after Adrien succeeded in another touch.  For the first time, he corrected Kagami’s posture, praising Adrien’s skillful assault and dismissing the team to change, as the lesson had reached its time limit.

And, though she was still generally pleased by her partner’s improvement, there was an immensely competitive part of her that was quite irked that he had apparently bested her.  It was an indication that he had somehow surpassed her, but more than that, it was frustrating to her that, at least in part, his progress was driven by his feelings for _another_ girl with blue-black hair.

Almost since Marinette had made the initial mistake as she attempted to moderate that first match with Adrien, Kagami had viewed her as a rival.  Marinette clearly had the boy’s attention, even if he wasn’t entirely aware of his feelings for a surprisingly long time. It seemed, though, that he had recently awakened to them.

And how fitting it was, that the moment when he recognized exactly what he felt for the incredibly well-liked girl, placing her at a significant advantage as Kagami’s rival for Adrien’s affections, he also began to improve enough in his skills as a fencer that he could potentially leave Kagami behind.

The frustrated girl scowled as she collected her personal belongings, closing the door to her locker with calculated control.

She was a Tsurugi, and Tsurugis did not engage in emotional outbursts or displays.

Still, as she made her way toward the exit of the building, she could not shake the bitter thought that whenever something disappointing happened in her life, Marinette was always somehow at the root of it.

So deep was she in her brooding that she failed to notice the black butterfly fluttering closer and closer until a shock surged through her, almost like an electric pulse, and the purple outline of a butterfly flashed before her vision.

“ _Riposte, you have been eclipsed in the shadow of another for far too long.  Allow me to give you the tools you need to emerge the true victor. But in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses._ ”

A sinister grin took over the akuma’s features.

“It would be my pleasure, Hawkmoth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience! I'm so incredibly busy lately, it's hard to find time for writing (that isn't for a class). Also, my beta boo is busy af, so there's no beta reading on this chapter. I hope it doesn't suffer! Thanks for your continued support!
> 
> Ok, so, wild ride, right? Alya's second revelation, her accidental slip, and then that little surprise at the end? I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Leave me a comment if you liked it, and let me know why! Thanks again everyone for being such awesome readers ^_^
> 
> <3 Muse


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riposte begins her search for Marinette. Marinette needs to transform before Riposte finds her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience everyone! I’ve been so busy lately I’ve hardly had time to write! On top of the fact that I got some major block toward the end of this chapter, and then also got distracted by the whole Adrinette April thing. The only free time I have I spend doing that. Thanks for being loyal readers! I’ll try to update again soon!

The power of the infected butterfly coursed through Kagami’s body like a sickness, infecting her entire being until the girl was gone and an entirely new being was left in her place.

A pair of cold, red eyes peered around, and with a single bound, the silver fencer leapt out of the building and into the streets.

An oncoming car was sliced in half, startled and terrified passengers spilling out from the sudden breach and fleeing at the sight of the dangerous akuma.

Riposte looked rapidly around her, ascertaining her surroundings and seeking out the cause of her jealousy.

Adrien, surprised by the commotion, looked out from the window of his chauffeur, stricken immediately with guilt for, he thought, causing Kagami to become an akuma once again.  The guilt was succeeded quickly by a measure of fear. If he caused her corruption, then it was likely that she would be looking to get revenge on him.

His mind raced, wondering how he could both escape the situation and find a place to transform.

Gorilla grunted as he also caught sight of the akuma, reaching down to shift the car’s gears.  Before the vehicle could drive away, however, Riposte’s gaze landed on them, and with one swipe of her sword, she tore the car asunder.

Adrien flinched backward, hands in the air as he stared into the breach, so close to his feet that, he imagined, if she had swung just a few centimeters to the left, he would have lost his legs.

Eyes wide, he looked up, watching as Riposte prowled closer.

“ _Where is she?_ ” the akuma demanded.

“Wh- what?”

She raised her sword, the point almost to Adrien’s chin, but carefully, almost delicately, lifted it so his face would be more level with hers.

“Tell me where I can find Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien’s eyes blew impossibly wide, real fear taking hold.  Marinette was in danger.

“I don’t know where she is right now.”

_And if I did, there’s no way I’d tell you._

Riposte’s eyes narrowed in his direction.

“Do not lie to me, Adrien.”

“Wh- what do you want with Marinette?”

The tip of the sword poked into his skin as she pressed harder, a sneer crossing her lips.

“She is my rival, and I _will_ be victorious!”

“Rival?” he asked, completely confused.  “For what?”

She leaned closer, prompting Adrien to back slightly away, unable to prevent himself from swallowing in nervousness.

“Everything.”

Then, to his absolute surprise, she closed the rest of the distance and gave him a short, hard kiss on the lips, pulling away and smirking as he watched her in shock.

“I’ll be back for you,” she said, then turned and leapt away.

Slightly shaking, Adrien took off after her, ignoring his bodyguard’s calls, and desperately searching for a place to hide and transform.

He had to find Marinette before the akuma did.

* * *

Felix followed Marinette up the stairs to her room, books in hand, and waited patiently as she put away all of her materials.

She placed the orchid on the windowsill by her desk, fingering the bloom carefully, a small smile on her face, before turning and indicating she was ready to go.

The blond followed her once again, down the stairs into the main apartment, and down the stairwell leading to the bakery.

When they emerged into the kitchen, Felix was surprised to hear his name being called.

“Oh, Felix!  It’s so nice to see you again, dear!”  Madame Dupain-Cheng’s pleasant face took over his vision as she drew closer, arms spread wide.

Automatically, he leaned in, allowing her to place two almost-kisses on both his cheeks before she drew back and gave him a beaming smile.

“Do you two have time for something to eat?” she asked, her voice light and warm like a ray of sunshine.  Grabbing his arm, she began to lead him to a table, a plate of croissants in her other hand. Felix felt his insides melt under her attention, though he kept his expression completely neutral.

“Maman!” Marinette voiced, a bit exasperated.  “We’re headed out,” she announced, taking the plate back just before Felix had a chance to grab a croissant and handing it back to her mother.

“Well, just let me put these in a box, then.  That boy is too skinny. He needs to eat more.”  And with that, the smaller Dupain-Cheng disappeared behind the counter, missing the roll of Marinette’s eyes.

The girl glanced down at Felix, who wasn’t much shorter than her, even though she was standing and he was sitting.  She had to bite back a smile as he rushed to stand out of respect, his face lighting up at the sight of her mother returning with a box of pastries.

Handing the box to Felix, Sabine said, “Hey you go, dear.  I included some cookies, too,” and gave him a wink.

To Marinette’s surprise and delight, Felix blushed lightly, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Thank you, Madame Dupain-Cheng.”

“Oh, please, honey.”  She placed a hand on his arm for a brief second.  “I’ve told you to call me Sabine.”

Silently, he nodded, looking to Marinette for guidance.

“Thanks, maman,” she told her mother, giving her a kiss on the cheek.  “We’ll be back.”

Felix bowed slightly to Sabine before following Marinette out the front door of the bakery.

“Sorry about that,” the raven-haired girl said as they made their way across the street.  “My maman can be a little pushy sometimes.”

“It’s all right,” Felix replied.  “It’s kind of nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone try to take care of me like that.”

Both instantly fell quiet, sadness and something resembling shame washing over Marinette.  Sometimes it was easy to forget that Adrien and Felix didn’t have a mother, and that their father was largely absent.  Realizing how much she sometimes took her mother for granted made her feel a little guilty.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said.  “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

A hand came out to grab hers, and her eyes flew to his face.

“It’s ok,” he replied.  “I’m ok. Being with you- you’re kind of the first person to really care for me in a long time.”

Blood saturated the girl’s cheeks, and she dropped her eyes to focus on the ground.  They made their way to a vacant bench in the park, opening the box of pastries to share.  A tense silence lingered, neither very sure about how to start the conversation.

“I was wrong,” Felix eventually blurted, his gaze intent on the contents of the box, chewing thoughtfully.  Marinette watched him without saying a word. “What I said about you belonging with Adrien, about us not pursuing anything- I shouldn’t have said that.  That is not really my choice to make for you. I was trying to make you both happy, but I should never have tried to do that by deciding for you. I- I lo- I like you, Marinette, and if you’re willing to allow me a chance, then I’d like to try us again... for real this time.”

When he looked at her, his expression was full of regret and hope, a bit of fear mixed in.

Marinette raised a hand, almost absent-mindedly brushing a lock of hair away from his face.  His grey-blue eyes peered back at her, and the intensity of their frosty color sent a shiver running through her.

With one hand, he reached up to grab her own, slowly lowering them both to the space on the bench between them and intertwining their fingers together.

“Felix, I-”

She stopped, brow furrowing as both their attention was directed down the street.  Some sort of disturbance was seemingly coming closer, if the growing noises were anything to go by.

Car horns honked.  The sounds of vehicles crashing could be heard, followed by screams.

Marinette’s grip on Felix’s hand tightened, her heart racing, veins filling with adrenaline, and she wondered how she could get him to safety, then transform.

Her eyes darted around for a moment, taking in any possible barrier or place of safety for her companion.  Before she found anything, though, she felt herself being pulled.

“This way!” Felix called to her, grip on her hand vice-like as he ran ahead of her, looking back almost as though he was afraid she would disappear.

Together, they hid behind the base of a large statue, Marinette still trying to think of an excuse to ditch the man beside her when she heard something truly surprising.

“We’re completely hidden back here.  You can transform.”

Her eyes flew to his face, wide and panicked.

“Wh- what?  What’re you talking about, Felix?”

“It’s ok, my queen,” he answered, still holding her hand in his.  “I know. I’ve been trying to think of a way to tell you, but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore.  And before you think it, me wanting to be with you has nothing to do with your... responsibilities. I only found out after the akuma attack the other day, when I accidentally saw you detransform.”

Marinette gaped at him, unable to speak.

Slowly, he raised a hand to caress her cheek with the back of his knuckles, his expression fond, his gaze directed at her lips.  Subconsciously, he leaned closer.

“You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, Marinette.”

She felt her eyelids fluttering closed, lost under the spell.  His lips were so close, her hand reaching up to grasp behind his neck and pull him closer.

Then a voice startled them both.

“Marinette!”

Suddenly, Chat Noir was there, and Marinette felt the air around them shatter.  Her gaze flew to his, the light in his cat-like eyes dimming as he took in the scene in front of him, jaw tensing.

Chat Noir had moved on already, she reminded herself as they stared uneasily at each other, so why did she feel guilty for him catching her almost kissing someone else?

He found someone else already... right?

Marinette noticed as Chat’s eyes flickered to Felix, then back to her, drawing closer as he spoke in a low voice.

“Princess, we have to get you out of here.  There’s an akuma after you.”

“What?”

Her mind raced.  She couldn’t recall any incidents that might make someone upset enough to want to harm her.

“Riposte.  She’s been akumatized again.”

“Kagami?” Marinette wondered out loud, curious what could have made the girl upset enough for Hawkmoth to target her again.

“Only I think this time, she’s after you because you’re the o- object of Adrien Agreste’s attentions.”

Beside her, Felix tensed, but Marinette only vaguely noticed, reeling as she was at the information that had just been delivered to her.

Her heart hammered, her cheeks flamed.  Then she felt a hand on her elbow, grounding her.  She turned to catch sight of Felix, who was giving her a meaningful look.

“Come, Marinette.  We have to get you somewhere safe and hidden.”  She nodded in agreement, fully aware of his meaning.

The sounds of crunching metal and screaming came closer.  Marinette looked to Chat.

“Can you come back to get Felix to safety?” she begged, distractedly concerned about what might happen to him before she could transform.

“Of course,” the man in black answered, though there was some frustration in his eyes.  Without another word, he reached out for the girl, but was caught off guard when she fell jarringly into him.

Nearby, a mangled iron gate lay in a heap of rubble, having skidded past them and come to a rest on the ground.

Felix’s expression was incredibly alarmed.

“Now, Chat Noir.  You have to take her now.”

The cat-themed hero didn’t argue, but pulled her securely against himself, extending his baton to vault them away.  With frantic eyes Marinette looked at the pale blond man, the frail, vulnerable, everyday civilian with no super suit to protect him.

“Wait- Felix-” and then she was airborne, her voice cut off by the jolt, and her arm reaching out in vain as the older Agreste watched her launch upward and over the buildings.

A furious shout could be heard over the din of destroyed metal and concrete, the akuma watching in anger as the object of her ire was being spirited away.

Felix looked so small from those heights- so fragile and so far from her reach.  She wanted to cry in frustration as she continued to move further away, helpless to do anything for him in that moment, and unable to look away until he was out of sight.  Her only consolation was that the akuma was unlikely to bother with him, since he had been separated from her.

Chat Noir continued to leap over the buildings at a relentless speed, putting as much space between them and Riposte as he could.  Eventually he stopped, looking around for a safe, unassuming place to hide her away. Marinette gradually loosened her grip on his shoulders, legs still wrapped around his waist, her chin resting on a shoulder as she looked behind them, catching sight of his nervously twitching tail.

“Chat-” she muttered, voice weak.  “I think that’s far enough.”

His grip on her back tightened, claws almost poking painfully into her skin, but she didn’t complain.

“You don’t understand, princess.  I _have_ to get you somewhere safe.  I have to _know_ you’re safe, and I won’t leave you until I do.”

“But- what about Ladybug?” she asked, real worry about what kind of damage the akuma could be doing in their absence rising in her mind.

“Ladybug is tough.  She’ll be ok until I return.”

Warmth bloomed inside Marinette’s chest at her partner’s trust and admiration.  Disengaging her legs from around his waist and stepping back, Marinette slowly released her hold on his neck, looking up at her partner with determination.

“I’ll be fine here.  Go.  Ladybug needs you.” _I need you._

Chat swallowed, worry clear in his features.

“ _Please_ , Marinette.  I can’t- I _have_ to know you’re safe- I can’t have you in danger-”

“Chat,” she cut him off, taking another step back.  “Go. I’ll be fine. You have to go make sure Felix is ok.”

He looked torn, eyes darting about the random rooftop, surveilling the horizon in case Riposte were to suddenly appear.

“The best thing you can do to keep me safe is defeat this akuma,” she reminded him.

Chat sighed, some sort of internal war evident in his eyes.  Finally, he lunged forward, pulling Marinette into a tight hug, which she returned with only a bit of surprised hesitation.  He pulled back quickly, just enough to look her in the eyes as he cupped her chin in his fingers and lifted her face to meet his gaze, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“You stay hidden,” he ordered, and she barely nodded.  His eyes dropped to her lips before rising again to her eyes, briefly closing in something akin to restraint.  “I mean it. I _can’t_ lose you.”  

The intensity in his eyes made her gasp, and she nodded again.  Reluctantly, he moved to the edge of the rooftop, watching her as he walked, finally forced to look away to gauge the distance and calculate his jump.  He turned back to Marinette one last time, just before he launched away.

“Please, stay safe, my princess.”  

And then he was a black blur quickly vanishing in the distance.

Desperate to return to the battle, Marinette looked around to make sure no one could see, then hid behind a chimney anyway, just in case.  Tikki emerged from her purse, and Marinette uttered the words, summoning the magic of the miraculous. Pink light washed over her. Ladybug wasted no time in casting out her yo-yo, launching herself in the direction Chat Noir had just disappeared.

* * *

Felix was relieved to see Marinette far away, hopefully able to transform soon, but part of him felt frustrated there was nothing he could do to help.  When he heard the akuma shout, clearly having caught sight of her fleeing target, he looked around frantically, searching for anything to distract her from pursuing the heroes.

“Hey!” he shouted, grabbing pieces of rubble and throwing them in Riposte’s direction.  Sneering, the akuma turned around. Unsure what to do now that she was looking his way, Felix’s eyes darted about for something- _anything-_ he could use against her.  At last, he caught sight of a long piece of metal from the broken gate lying nearby, lifting it in his hand and brandishing it like a sword.

The akuma appeared amused.

“You are not the one I want.  It would be in your best interest to stay out of my way.”  With that, she turned to leave, but Felix couldn’t let her do that.  Ladybug wasn’t back yet. Marinette needed more time.

Without warning he lunged, bringing the pole down to strike, only for Riposte to whirl around, diverting his swing using the massive blade fused with her arm.  She appeared to snarl at him.

“Have it your way,” she growled, raising the sword again and bringing it down with incredible force.

Felix did the best he could to parry the blow, but he was no match for a villain with super strength and a super weapon.  The pole dented to the point of pinching completely shut, a painful vibration running up his arm as he felt something in his shoulder rip.  Burning pain seared through him, and he reached up to grab his shoulder reflexively as he dropped the pole to the ground.

“ _Fuck_.”

Riposte glared, a sinister grin growing as she raised the sword again.  She made several attempts to strike him, but he managed to duck behind various objects nearby- a tree, a bench, even the statue he and Marinette had hidden behind together.  Eventually though, he was winded, in pain, and panting as he leaned against the statue’s concrete base.

The akuma rounded the corner, only a few meters away.  Felix flinched, preparing to be hit, only to be surprised when she didn’t strike him, but swung instead at the large statue towering behind him.  The bronze made an awful sound as the blade sliced through, and for a second, it teetered almost in suspension before toppling toward him.

Just as he was about to be crushed, something flew into him from the side, the impact jolting his body and sending him flying out of the way of the falling statue.  He landed hard, heavy object on top of him, sending another shockwave of searing anguish through his body. When his vision came back into focus, he looked up, but the thing on top of him was already rising up.

Chat Noir stood, reaching a hand down to pull Felix to his feet.

“Come on,” he urged.  “We have to get you out of here.”

Felix stumbled to a standing position, still clutching his shoulder, which was hot to the touch, even under the material of his shirt.  He looked to the black-clad hero, face pale from the horrible sensation, breathing hard.

“How nice of you to join us, kitty.”

Both men’s heads whipped around to see Riposte walking nearer.

“Now tell me where you put Marinette.”

Chat didn’t even bother to respond, turning back to Felix and looking him over hurriedly.

“ _Shit_ ,” he cursed.  “This is going to hurt.”

Felix had no time to prepare before he was hoisted and tossed over the hero’s shoulder, then vaulting up into the air.  His injured arm hung limply behind him, a burning feeling tearing through his upper body, and he stifled a scream. Every time they descended, the pain renewed.  Everytime they landed, it flared. Every time they ascended again in a jump, it started all over again.

After multiple rooftops, Felix felt them come to a stop, and then he was being lowered down, his arm hanging uselessly at his side as he tried in vain to cradle it protectively.  Tears pricked his eyes, but he fought them back.

“You stay here, out of sight, and out of trouble,” Chat ordered.

Felix’s gaze fell behind him at a red blur headed their way.  Nervously, he looked back at Chat, but the masked man was already turning around to see what had drawn Felix’s attention.  Within a few seconds, the scarlet hero landed beside them.

“Felix, are you ok?”

Chat gaped.

“Do you know him?”

An intense flush overtook the girl’s cheeks, and she found herself biting the inside of her cheek.

“W- we’ve met, once before,” she answered, eyes locking with the blue-grey ones across from her, willing him not to say anything revealing.  Chat’s gaze flickered between them, questions in his eyes, but they were pressed for time.

“My lady, we have to go.  Riposte is wreaking havoc, and she’s after Ma- my friend.”

Ladybug nodded, attention fixed on Felix’s arm.  Stepping forward, she tried to get a closer look at it.

“What happened.”

It was less of a question, and more of a demand.  Felix swallowed.

“Oh, you know.  I ended up in the akuma’s way.  I’ll be fine.”

She looked at him, unconvinced, then reached for his hand and began lifting the injured arm.  Felix let out a cry of pain, and she released the hand back down to his side.

“Fine, huh?”

The pale blond man grimaced, gritting his teeth as he sucked in a pained breath.

“Yes.  I have full confidence in your ability to put everything back to normal.”

Ladybug only glared.

“Next time, _don’t_ get involved.”

“My lady,” Chat cut in, anxiety growing by the second.  “ _Please_ , we have to stop her as soon as possible.”

She nodded, reluctantly turning away from Felix and gazing out to the city.

“Right, Chaton.  Lead the way.”

Without another word, Chat turned and leapt off the roof.  Ladybug gave Felix one last look before casting her yo-yo and following her partner as the injured civilian watched, unable to do anything other than wait.

“Be careful, my queen.”

* * *

Ladybug arrived fractions of a second behind Chat Noir, her landing sending a quake through the roof of the building they were using for surveillance.  Joining her partner behind a chimney for cover, she searched the area for the akuma they _knew_ was nearby, going by the damage and the screams.

“There, my lady,” her partner said, voice low as he pointed toward a street several blocks away.  Riposte could be seen in the distance, tearing about everything in her path as she made her way through the city.  “I think she’s trying to draw us out, hoping she can defeat us and force Marinette out of hiding.”

Ladybug’s jaw tensed, her eyes narrowing as she observed and calculated possible strategies.

“Her akuma has to be related to her sword again.  Or at the very least, she’ll be much less dangerous without it.  We have to find a way to break it.”

“But how are we going to do that?  We’ll have to get very close.”

The masked girl peered out pensively, trying to imagine ways they could trap or trick the akumatized fencer.

“Well, your Cataclysm is out, that’s for sure.  The sword is part of her, and you could kill her.”  Chat nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps it’s time for a Lucky Charm?”

Ladybug eyed her yo-yo thoughtfully.

“I don’t know.  Once the timer starts, we’re pretty much backed into a corner.  I’d like to wait until there’s no other way.”

“What do you suggest then?  We have to stop her as soon as possible.  As long as she’s Riposte, Marinette is in danger.”

The girl beside him coughed, clearing her throat awkwardly.

“We need to restrain her, but she can cut through basically anything.  Maybe we should focus on distracting her? Forcing her into a tight space?”

“You know, the less space she has to move, the less space we have to dodge her attacks.”  Ladybug nodded in agreement as Chat appeared to have an idea. “What about your string?”

“What?”

“Your string.  Remember what we did with Anansi?  Maybe we can trick Riposte into thinking Marinette is at the Eiffel tower, lure her there and trap her with your yo-yo.  She can’t get away that easily, and we still have room to move about.”

Her nodding became surer, determination flashing in her eyes.

“Right, then.  Chat, I need you to do what you do best.”

The feline hero grinned widely.

“My lady, are you asking me to be the bait?”

“Today you’re playing the mouse, kitty.  Get Riposte to the tower. I’ll meet you there.”

“See you there, bug,” Chat said, saluting and leaping off toward the direction Riposte was heading.

Ladybug surveyed her surroundings for a moment before swinging off the building, headed for the Eiffel tower.

* * *

Chat Noir approached Riposte at a breakneck speed, well aware what the risks were if he slowed down too much, got too close, or hesitated too long.

“Hey, Silver Surfer!”

The akuma turned around to glare at him.

“You!  Where are Ladybug and Marinette?”

Chat ignored the odd feeling that question gave him.

“Sorry!  A gentlecat would never betray his lady!” he replied, purposely darting his eyes in the direction of the Eiffel tower.  

Just as he hoped, Riposte caught his supposed mistake, turning her head in the landmark’s direction.  With narrowed eyes, she pivoted to give Chat a sinister sneer.

“Looks like you’re just a regular stray, Chat Noir.  Thanks for the help.”

And with that, she took off toward the tower, a black cat close at her heels.

* * *

Ladybug cleared the tower and surrounding area of people and waited, apprehensive, until she could see Riposte coming her way, her black-clad partner close behind.  She waited until they were almost within the four feet of the tower before calling for her Lucky Charm. Something fell in her hands as they entered the area, and she immediately cast the yo-yo to trap the three of them in like a boxing ring.

Riposte brandished her sword, raising it to strike at Ladybug, who dodged at the last second by tumbling to the ground and rolling to the side.  Then Chat Noir’s baton was coming down, but the akuma blocked his blow with her sword, deflecting the hit and returning with a lunge of her own. Ladybug looked at the Lucky Charm in her hands, the sounds of Chat and Riposte’s clanging metal weapons in the background, trying to figure out exactly what she had to to.  She looked up, vision going gray as a few objects lit up red and black. Eyes narrowing, she joined the fray, hopping up behind Riposte and barely ducking a swing of the giant sword.

“Chat!  Your belt!” she cried, just barely managing to escape another strike as the black object came flying at her.

Ladybug stood in a ready stance, watching as Riposte pulled back  before lunging, then lifted the metal truss in her hands, the sword going in long-ways and surprising Riposte.  Ladybug whirled over the top of the weaponized limb, causing the akuma to barrel roll onto her back and land with a thud.

In one quick movement, she wrapped the belt around the sword where it entered the truss, securing it inside before pulling hard.  Riposte’s arm was dragged forward roughly, thwarting her efforts to rise.

“Chat!”

In the next second, he was there by her side, kicking at the exposed part of the hilt with the full force of his weight and breaking the blade in two, the akuma escaping.

“Oh, no you don’t,” the red hero said, retracting her yo-yo just to cast it out to catch the fleeing purple butterfly.  “Gotcha.” With a swipe of her finger, the compact opened, releasing a white, purified insect.

Picking up the Lucky Charm, she tossed it in the air as hard as she could, calling out, “Miraculous Ladybug!” and watching as a swarm of healing ladybugs flooded the city.

Kagami slumped on the ground, a hand holding her disoriented head.  Chat Noir knelt beside her.

“Are you ok?”

The girl looked up, silent and still bewildered.

“I’m sorry you’re hurting,” the hero in black continued.  “You should talk to your friend. Talk to Adrien.”

“I-” Kagami’s voice came out raspy, and she stopped to clear her throat, her gaze falling back to the ground.  “I don’t think he’s going to want to talk to me. I let my emotions get the better of me-”

“I’m sure he’s not willing to throw away a friendship over it,” Chat countered, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “Everyone struggles sometimes. Something tells me he values his friends too much to do that to them.”

Ladybug watched as the girl on the ground raised her eyes, a moment of understanding passing between them before Kagami gave him a small smile.

Chat stood and turned to Ladybug.

“My lady, do you mind taking her back?  I have some people I need to check on.”

The spotted hero’s eyes widened in panic, relief washing over her as her earrings beeped.

“Actually, Chat Noir, I’m going to detransform soon.  I really should get going.”

“Oh.  Right,” he replied, shoulders slumping, but nodding his head.

Before he could say anything more, Ladybug cast her yo-yo out and swung away, determined to make it as close to the place where he left Marinette as she could before her transformation fell.

She only made it as far as the building where they left Felix before she detransformed mid-air, falling into a painful heap on the rooftop, a startled blond man watching her in surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you liked it in the comments!  
> ❤️🖤💚 Muse


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Marinette continue their conversation, and Adrien considers his next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this installment took so long, and it's so short! I've been promising an update for weeks, but I've been blocked, so I decided it was best to get something up instead of nothing. This chapter is more resolution of the previous conflict than plot progression, but more drama will be coming soon, so be ready! ^_^

“Marinette!  Are you all right?”

The girl groaned, one hand reaching behind to rub the part of her backside that took the brunt of her clumsy landing.

“I’m fine,” she said, doing her best to keep the discomfort out of her voice.  “The ground and I are old friends.”

She raised up on her knees, placing one hand on the ground to slowly bring herself to a standing position, then startled when she felt a hand on her other elbow.  Turning her head, she looked up into Felix’s concerned features.

They both pulled simultaneously, and with only a little bit of grunting and dusting off of her clothes, Marinette was upright once again, her priorities in checking on the status of Felix’s injury taking over.

“Are you all right?” she asked, mirroring his question from before as she proddingly inspected his shoulder and arm, her brow furrowed in concentration and worry.

“I’m fine,” he told her, returning her own words back to her with a twitch of his lips.  “See?” Felix lifted his arm and rotated it at the shoulder, demonstrating the fact that he was fully healed.

“Oh thank God!”

Then Marinette’s arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, her forehead resting against his chest.

She didn’t see the way his cheeks flushed pink, the small, pleased smile that appeared on his face.

Her relief abating, Marinette suddenly felt self-conscious over her behavior, pulling back and stepping away with an awkward clearing of her throat.  She diverted her attention to her purse, where she knew Tikki had to be hiding and replenishing her energy on stored cookies.

“I would have felt really guilty if you were still hurt,” she tried to explain, hoping it would suffice as an excuse for her outburst.

Felix tucked a crooked finger under her chin, tilting her head up and back until her eyesight was in line with his.

“I told you I trust you.”

Marinette did her best to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks, holding his gaze with stubborn determination.

“ _But_ ,” he continued, eyes somehow softening even more, “you never did get to give me a response.”

It took some thinking, which correlated with the confused dip of her brows, before she realized what he was referring to.

The scene.  In the park.  Just before they were interrupted by the akuma.

_I’d like to try us again... for real this time._

Marinette’s eyes darted back and forth between Felix’s own as he waited patiently for her answer.

“Ah... about that.”

* * *

Chat Noir dropped Kagami down in front of the school, her chauffeur waiting not too far away.

Turning to face him, she gave the hero her best grateful, if a bit formal, smile.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused today.”

He smiled sincerely back, lifting a hand to her shoulder.

“It happens to the best of us.  I’m just glad you’re back to yourself.  Don’t conflate who you really are with some twisted, corrupted version of you.  That isn’t you.”

Kagami looked down as he lowered his arm again, a sense of shame evident on her face.

“But it’s still part of me, isn’t it?”

“Hey.  Don’t do that,” he corrected her.  “You were exploited and manipulated in a moment of weakness.  That isn’t on you. Don’t blame yourself for that. If anyone is a monster here, it’s Hawkmoth.  You’re not him.”

Kagami raised her head, relief washing over her features as she looked into his surprisingly warm, comforting eyes, wondering why they felt so familiar.  She inhaled deep, releasing the breath and, to Chat’s astonishment, rose up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” she told him, watching with a smirk as he reached up unconsciously to touch the spot she had just kissed, his jaw hanging slightly open from surprise.  “Or I may have to actually kick your ass. As myself, this time.”

Chat grinned, bowing slightly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As he straightened, he gave one last salute before he vaulted off, scanning the horizon, trajectory set in the direction of the place where he left Marinette.

* * *

Felix waited for Marinette to continue, and she stood there for a few seconds, mouth opening and closing though no words came out.

Finally, she said, “This is probably a conversation for another place.  I should get us down.”

She looked around briefly before gave him a sheepish half-smile and calling for her transformation.  Felix watched as the pink light overtook her, leaving the superhero he was coming to feel very familiar with in her place.  His body jolted as she pulled him abruptly to herself, her eyes widening a bit as she realized she may have acted too roughly without giving him any warning.

Marinette cleared her throat again, lifting up the yo-yo in her hand and casting it.

“Sorry, Felix,” she murmured.  “Hold on tight.”

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“Here we go.”

And without a second’s hesitation, they were airborne, Felix’s stomach almost dropping at the sudden movement.  Unconsciously, he held on tighter as she swung them a few streets over to a typically empty alley close to the park they were previously in.  As the ground came closer, she slowed their descent into a smooth, gradual landing, retracting her yo-yo with a flick of her wrist once their feet were solidly on the ground.

One more look around for security, and she called, “Spots off.”

Marinette gave Felix a crooked smile, taking in his disheveled, windblown appearance.  His normally neat hair was frizzy and messy, and it curled more than usual around the edges of his face.

“Shall we?”

Felix realized he was staring stupidly and slammed his jaw shut, some part of him still not over the magical sight of her transformation.  Hoping she didn’t notice the blush in his cheeks, he turned, one nervous hand to the nape of his neck, and held out one arm to indicate her should precede him out of the alley.

They crossed the street to the park, choosing to walk down the path instead of sit at the benches.  A few minutes of silence passed between them before Marinette finally worked up the courage to speak up.

“About... earlier.”

Felix remained silent, attentive but open and waiting.

Marinette’s gaze transitioned from the ground in front of them to some invisible spot among the trees, unseeing really anything they passed by.

“The thing is... I’m not entirely sure how I feel right now.”  Her eyes dropped once again to her feet. “I really like you Felix, but... I’m also trying to sort out other feelings.  I don’t say this to be mean, or to make you feel bad, but... my feelings for Chat Noir- they’re complicated. He’s been pursuing me as Ladybug for a long time, and I’ve only just recently begun to understand that I might return his feelings.”  She chuckled somewhat bitterly. “And isn’t it just fitting that when I finally realize how I feel, he moves on?” Her face was turned away, but Felix caught the way she wiped away a stray tear. “And then you add in the fact that I’m still trying to get over Adrien- I just don’t know if I have it in me to give my heart fully to anyone.”

Feeling vulnerable, Marinette began to raise her arms to cross them over her stomach, only to find one of them impeded by a grip on her hand.  She turned to face the pale blond next to her, eyes questioning as he laced their fingers together and came to a stop.

“You know, if there is even a chance that you could ever give me _any_ piece of your heart, I will gladly wait for you to be ready.”  He lifted the hand to his lips, lightly kissing the back of her knuckles without ever releasing her gaze.  “You’re worth it.”

Marinette stood there for a minute, her heart fluttering in her chest as she contemplated the man in front of her.

She didn’t want to settle because she couldn’t be with Chat Noir, but strangely, Felix didn’t make her feel like she was settling.  If she said yes, it wouldn’t be because she was accepting second best.

He stood there silently, allowing her to process his words, his grey-blue eyes sending shivers down her spine.

“Well..." she said at last, pulse racing.  “We could... take it slow and see how it goes.”

His entire face softened, a real smile gradually growing.

“As my queen wishes.”

* * *

Chat Noir hopped hurriedly from one roof to the next, scouring the area where he left Marinette, but unable to find a trace of her.  Did Ladybug already find her and let her down? But she had run out of her transformation, hadn’t she?

When he could see no sign of Marinette, he returned also to the location he dropped Felix, but once again found nothing.

Frustrated and desperate, Chat headed in the direction of Marinette’s house.  He passed near the park, a flash of something pink overtaking his vision. Coming to an abrupt stop, he turned his full attention to the meandering walkway, heart nearly stopping in his chest as he saw her.

She was here.

She was safe.

She was... walking hand in hand with Felix.

Chat’s shoulders slumped, his ears flattening on his head.  It felt like something very heavy had dropped on his chest, and with one last look at the oblivious pair, he turned and took off in the direction of Agreste manor.

Racing over the rooftops, he only had one thought in mind:

_It’s on._

* * *

“You know, you’re gonna end up walking off a bridge if you keep spacing out all day.  What is with you?”

“Huh?” Marinette shook her head, pulling herself out of the trance she had fallen into, and did her best to focus on what her best friend just said.  “Uhh... pardon?”

Alya snorted from her position across the lunch table.

“You have been out of it all day!” she claimed, exasperated, and lifted up a hand to playfully flick her friend’s forehead.  “What’s that about?”

Truthfully, she had a good idea, especially with the akuma the day before, but she couldn’t tell Marinette that.  The raven-haired girl shrugged and blushed.

“You know me,” she offered abashedly, “I’m always spacey.”

“Mmhmm,” was Alya’s dubious response.  “Does this have anything to do with a certain blond boy?”

It was meant to be only a teasing remark, but Marinette’s expression and the intensifying color in her face were telling.  Alya’s playful smile quickly turned more serious.

“Wait, am I right?  Oh my God, girl, you have got to give me deets!”

“Shh, keep your voice down!” Marinette whispered furiously.

“Is it Adrien?” Alya asked, much quieter this time, leaning in so that anyone close by wouldn’t hear, and pointedly look further down the table where said boy was sitting next to Nino.  Then her eyes widened, and she gasped dramatically, “Is it Chat Noir?”

Marinette’s responding glare was almost comical, but the redhead knew when to push buttons and when to back off.

“All right, all right.  I got it.”

Marinette looked back down at her food, which she had barely touched the whole lunch period, letting out a sigh.  Becoming lost in her thoughts again, she was startled back to reality again when she felt a light kick on her leg.  She looked up at her friend, frowning in confusion when Alya only tilted her head suggestively off to the side. The noirette turned in the direction Alya indicated, only to find Adrien staring at her from across and slightly down the table.

As though realizing he was caught staring, Adrien swiveled his head back to face Nino, who was going on animatedly about something.  From where she sat, Marinette could see the tips of his ears turning red. It was odd, but she brushed it off, shaking her head and turning her attention back to Alya, who was giving her a sly smirk.  The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes at her friend, unspoken message clear.

_Don’t start._

A small, suppressed chuckled made Alya’s shoulders shake a little, well-versed as she was in her friend’s silent signals.  She raised both her hands as though to say, “I wasn’t going to say anything,” then went back to her food.

Marinette rolled her eyes, gaze flickering briefly back to the blond.  She wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought it seemed as though he had pivoted his eyes quickly away from her.  The thought confused her, and she wondered if there was some leftover tension between them from what had happened before.  Once again, Marinette became deeply absorbed in her thoughts, beginning to simply play with the food on her plate in her distraction and completely missing the way Adrien’s eyes returned to her as soon as she wasn’t looking, brow furrowed and expression thoughtful.

He wasn’t the blond she was thinking of before, but he wasn’t far from her thoughts, though she wasn’t even entirely sure what exactly those were.  Deciding she didn’t have an appetite, Marinette rose from her spot and tossed her leftovers, waiting briefly at the exit doors while Alya did the same.  They walked in relatively comfortable silence, Marinette deep in thought, and Alya thoughtfully observing her friend, until they reached the locker room.  Automatically, they sat side by side on the bench, each swiveling until their backs were against each other in a mutually supportive lean.

“You gonna tell me what’s going through that crazy head of yours?” Alya finally asked, curiosity getting the best of her.  Marinette sighed, weighing her answer.

“I’m seeing Felix.”

There was a choking sound, followed by coughing, behind her.

“What?”

Marinette didn’t respond.

“...What about Adrien and Chat Noir?” Alya questioned, ignoring the guilt she felt over keeping their oneness a secret.  Her friend sighed again before answering.

“Chat’s moved on, and Adrien never wanted me.  And I like Felix. He deserves a chance.”

The girl behind her sat there in stunned silence, not sure what she should say, or even where to begin.  Instead, she reached a hand out to the side, waiting until Marinette grasped it in her own. They sat there for a second, hands clasped, comfortable and comforted by each other.

“Whatever makes you happy, girl.  I know you’ll always do what’s right for you.”

Marinette smiled a slightly bittersweet smile.

“If only things were always that simple.”

* * *

Going through the day was almost torturous for Adrien.  He couldn’t look at Marinette- it twisted him up with jealousy thinking that she was slipping through his fingers, but he couldn’t look away, either.  She was the flame, and his gaze was drawn to her.

In his head, he imagined all the ways he could tell her how stupid he had been, how he wanted to be with her, if only she would give him a chance, but he was concerned it wasn’t the right time.

But when was the right time?  If she and Felix were just starting out, ideally it would be better to approach her before things got serious between them.  Alya herself had said if Marinette reached the point of truly choosing Felix, he was as good as done for, but he had already made two blunders in the last few days, and he wasn’t keen on solidifying any awkwardness in their relationship.

It was a delicate, precarious balance, and he had no clue how to proceed.  He only knew that he had to find a way before it was too late.

The rest of the day felt like going through the motions, until the dismissal bell rang, and he absentmindedly put away his books, preparing for his after school fencing training.  As he walked into the changing room, however, a familiar voice carried to his ears. He slowed his step, cautiously turning the corner until a pale blond head and a shorter female with hair as dark as night appeared in his vision.  For a moment, he simply stood there, bag still slung over his shoulder, watching as Felix talked with Kagami.

“Felix,” he finally said, interrupting their conversation.

The man looked up, eyes landing on Adrien, and subconsciously straightened where he stood.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to prepare for our match,” the older Agreste replied, corner of his mouth quirking slightly.  “Care to share some gear with your older brother?”

Adrien inhaled a deep, controlled breath as Kagami’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them.

“Of course,” he finally responded.  “It wouldn’t be the first time you borrowed what was mine,” he couldn’t help tacking on.  Felix’s eyebrow twitched, his jaw ticking a bit.

Kagami stepped forward, headed in the direction of the lockers, not even trying to hide the rolling of her eyes.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing Felix’s tie and tugging him behind her, to his surprise.  “Let’s get you set up.”

* * *

“You can let go now,” Felix muttered feebly, surprising Kagami into dropping his tie like it was on fire.

Her normally passive expression cracked a bit into one of amusement as she turned to collect the necessary equipment, shaking her head slightly.

“You know,” she said into a row of foils, her back facing Felix, “petulantly fighting over women like they’re objects... it’s not attractive.”

Felix’s eyes narrowed just slightly as he studied her small stature, weighing his response.  Kagami grabbed one foil. Apparently satisfied, before turning to look for a fencing jacket and gloves.

“Perhaps that sentiment might be more useful if spoken to another.  I have no intention of ‘petulantly fighting over women,’ as you put it.”

Kagami selected a jacket and gloves she estimated would fit Felix, then turned to him with a smirk.

“Who said I was implicating you?  I never waste words. Next time listen more carefully, and maybe you will not mistake words of comfort for censure.”

The tall blond paused, taking the gear in hand as she met his curious gaze.

“You mean to say-”

“I mean that if you are worried about losing Marinette, then you should worry less.”

He watched her for a few moments longer, trying his best to see past her impervious eyes, but unable to do so.

“What does that mean for you, then?  Is petulance not unattractive to you as well?”

Kagami continued to stare, a brief flicker of emotion on her face the only indication that she heard his question.

“It is no longer relevant to me either way.”

* * *

“Kagami, wait up!”

The short Japanese girl stopped, hand on the handle of the back car door to her chauffeur, then slowly turned to meet a pair of green eyes.

Adrien jogged the last few steps before coming to a halt a meter or less before his friend.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get any further than those two words in his head.

Fencing practice had been oddly tense.  Whereas before he and Kagami always had a healthy sense of competition, there was always a friendly undertone to their sparring, but today was different.  He hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to her (as himself) since she was akumatized. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say to her (rejection was never easy for him), but he never wanted to make her feel like she was no longer important to him.

It seemed the longer he waited to talk to her though, despite the fact it had only been a couple of days, the bigger the rift between them grew.  It showed in the way they had interacted at practice, and it was even more obvious given Felix’s presence. If Adrien wasn’t mistaken, there was some sort of understanding between his brother and his friend, and he was very much an outsider.

Kagami watched him expectantly, one eyebrow arching when he didn’t say anything for several seconds.

“Agreste?”

“Kagami, about the other day-”

But the girl in front of him silenced him with a raised palm.

“That was my mistake.  You share none of the fault.  I’m not angry at you, Adrien.”

The blond looked back at her for a second, licking his lips absent-mindedly as he thought about what to say.

“But- it was partly my fault.  You're my friend, and I should have been more aware of your feelings.  I would never hurt you on purpose.”

“I know,” she said, one half of her mouth quirking up into a dry, lopsided smile.  “Me too.”

“You know... whatever your feelings are, you can always talk to me.  I won’t judge you or treat you differently. Ok?”

Kagami’s smile spread to the other side of her face, and she held out a hand.

“Friends?”

Adrien debated pulling her into a hug, but worried it might be misconstrued as something deeper.  Instead, he reached out and grabbed her hand with a sincere one of his own, returning her smile.

“Friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I've written part of the ending, and now officially have chosen the endgame relationship! (But of course I'm not telling (^ω~) ). Will it be Felinette or Adrinette? 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! 
> 
> <3 Muse


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug have a revealing conversation, Kagami and Felix have a heart to heart, and Felix takes Marinette out on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this chapter off and on for, like, a month. Between summer classes and the 5 actual other fics I'm working on right now (facepalm, why do I do this to myself?), I have much less free time to concentrate and knock these stories out, but I'm promise, I will continue them! Please take this newest installment as my latest tribute.
> 
> <3 Muse

Chat Noir looked out over the lights of Paris, his legs dangling lazily over the edge of a girder somewhere close to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  It had been a long and emotional few days, and he had just about had enough watching Marinette and his brother’s increasingly familiar interactions.  The way she looked at Felix... well, he didn’t want to think about it at the moment.

So, to get away from his brother’s lovesick smiles and constant texting, Adrien transformed and took off into the night.  It was a relief to escape, to be able to sit on his own and think. The longer he waited, the more the window of opportunity was closing.  If he could just get Marinette to see him, really _see_ him-

A brief flash of red preceded the soft tap of two feet landing beside him.  Chat barely had a moment to turn in her direction before Ladybug plopped down on the space next to him.  A pleased smile on her face brightened her whole being.

“Fancy seeing you here, Chaton,” she greeted, nudging his shoulder with her own.

Chat gave her a half-hearted chuckle.

“Yea.  Looks like someone had a good day.”

The girl beside him sighed happily as she turned to face the city and leaned back, both hands placed behind her to support her weight.  She crossed her dangling legs at the ankles and began to rock them.

“You could say that.”

Her partner watched her expression, wondering at her sudden bliss.  He scooted a little closer and carefully nudged her the way she had just done.

“Any specific reason?”

If it was possible, Ladybug’s eyes began to shine, the reflection of the city lights magnifying their intensity as her smile grew wider.

“I met someone,” she finally offered, “and I’m really happy.”

Despite the fact he had given up on her, despite the fact he knew his love for her wasn’t as deep as his love for Marinette, he couldn’t help the bit of bitterness that rose up within him at her words.  He pursued her for years, and she suddenly met someone and accepted him right away? But even more than that, it reminded him of the frustrating situation he was in. With a sharp exhale, he looked out again and did his best to school his features.  The last thing he wanted to do was to take his feelings out on his partner. A thousand thoughts and questions flew through him mind. He wanted to know who, he wanted to know how and where and when.

“You, too, huh?” was all that came out.

“Oh?”  Ladybug turned to look at Chat questioningly, the dejected tone in his voice setting her senses on edge.  “What do you mean? Is something the matter?”

The blond took a deep breath and let it go, trying to decide what he should share and what he should keep to himself.

“Nothing, just... I have a friend.  She’s in a new relationship, too.” He tried, but he couldn’t keep the sadness out of his voice.  Ladybug remained quiet. Chat turned to meet her eyes and gave her an attempt at a reassuring smile.  “I’m happy for you, bug.” It was mostly true.

The scarlet hero looked back at him, searching his eyes with her own.

“Chat you’re not… are you ok?  Do you want to talk about it?”

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and frustration.  In an effort to hide them, he dropped his gaze to his lap and shrugged, but she wouldn’t let it go just like that.

“Chat, talk to me.”

A small hand came up to rest on his leather-covered shoulder, and with a will of their own, he couldn’t stop his green eyes from rising up to meet hers.

“I love a girl,” he said simply.  “And she’s with someone else.”

Ladybug stared back at him, her jaw hanging slightly at his admission, but didn’t speak.  Chat switched his gaze to focus on the view.

“It’s all my fault.  I took her for granted for years, and now it might be too late.  I know her in real life. We could have been together, no mask in the way, and I was too stupid to see how much I needed her.  And this guy, he’s-”

Chat cut himself off before he could say something too revealing.  Beside him, he heard and felt his partner exhale a shuddering breath.

“Who is she?” she asked with a slight tremble in her voice.

The boy let his head fall back until he was staring up at the stars, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“What?!”  Ladybug squeaked.  “I thought- I thought- I thought you- I mean- this whole time... you’ve been talking about _her_?”

Chat nodded miserably but didn’t spare her a glance.

“And... when you were looking for your friend after the akuma attack the other day, you were talking about her?”

He nodded again, tucking his chin into his chest and smiling bitterly.

“And..." here she cleared her throat, “you really know her?”

“Yea.  I probably shouldn’t have told you that, but I guess it doesn’t really matter now.  It’s not like I’m the only person she’s ever talked to.”

A sudden hard smack on the shoulder shocked the hero out of his near trance-like state.  With an expression of surprise, he turned to face his friend, who was rapidly standing up, anger clear on her face.

“You mean to tell me you’ve known her for years, and you could have approached her as yourself, but you waited until it was too late?!”

“What?  My lady-”

“No, Chat!”  She held up a single finger to silence him.  “Did you ever stop to think that you might be hurting her?  What if she finds out that you know each other? You’ve been rejecting her by default all this time, and for what?  Now it’s too late, you decide you want her?” Tears pooled in the corners of her blue eyes, a far cry from the joyful brightness that had filled them just minutes before.  “Dammit, Chat,” she said, face contorting as she tried to suppress the tears. Confused, he could only watch her helplessly as they spilled over. “Do both of you a favor. Don’t ever tell her who you are.”  And with that, she cast out her yo-yo and swung away.

For several moments longer, he sat there, his heart clenching in his chest until he couldn’t breathe.  Then the light sound of _plip plip_ caught his attention.  Looking down, he noticed a few tiny spots where water had dropped onto his leather-covered legs, and he realized he was crying.

* * *

“Think you’re ready?”

Felix turned in mild surprise, accidentally slamming the locker a little harder than he intended.  Fluorescent lights overhead revealed a girl in red standing in the doorway, helmet tucked under her arm.  Felix reached down to tuck his borrowed gloves in Adrien’s bag, accepting Kagami’s teasing smirk and returning it with an arched eyebrow.

“For what?”

“For your upcoming chauvinistic match,” she answered, striding casually closer.  “To finally decide with tools who gets ownership rights to Marinette instead of letting her make that choice herself.”

The look Felix gave her was neutral, but she had become more accustomed to his expressions with their increased exposure to each other in fencing practice, and so was able to pick up on the wry cut of his mouth.  Suppressing a chuckle, she tugged off her gloves and began to set them, along with her helmet, on a nearby bench.

“Marinette’s already made her choice.  Wouldn’t you agree?”

Kagami walked closer to her locker, but didn’t take her eyes off the elder Agreste.  If it wasn’t for the nervous twitch at the apex of his brows, the tensing of his shoulders as he straightened where he stood, she wouldn’t have even guessed he was nervous.  Taking a seat, she reached down towards a shoe.

“Are you trying to convince me, or you?”  

She set one boot on the bench beside her, then the other.

But Felix, either unsure or not willing to say, remained silent as he picked his bag up and slung it over his shoulder.

Kagami shook her head, finally pivoting away from him to place her shoes in the locker.

“Fine then, don’t answer me” she acquiesced, turning toward him and motioning with a spin of her finger that he should face the opposite direction.  Felix complied, putting his back to her and looking out through the windows. “You ready for your date tonight?”

As she watched him stand there stoically, the hand that was gripping the bag’s strap where it met his shoulder tightened.  Kagami reached down to unfasten her jacket, which she wrangled out of, along with her trousers, until she was standing in an undershirt.

“Is the ice queen concerned about my state of mind, or my success?”

Though she was tempted to repay him with a sarcastic reply, she instead only lifted her shirt out of her bag, pulling it over her shoulders and buttoning it up the front, before slipping her skirt up her legs and closing it.

“You can turn around now,” she said when she was done, then bent over to pull on one stocking, then the other, and slid her feet into two low-heeled ankle-boots, all the while only giving him her signature unreadable expression.

Felix stepped forward and around her, headed toward the door.  But his exit was delayed by the sound of her voice.

“If I’m the ice queen, what does that make you?”

When he turned back to look at her, he caught a rare smile on her face, just before her head dipped too low to see as she shoved the rest of the equipment into her own bag.  Finally ready to leave, she stood, meeting his gaze.  

There was an amusement hiding somewhere within, showing up at the crinkles on either side of her mouth, the subtle light behind her eyes, the pointed arching of her left eyebrow.  Even more than a tease, it was a challenge.

Are we not the same? she seemed to say.

Felix shrugged, corner of his mouth twitching.

“Takes one to know one.”

It was a simple quip, yet Kagami could not resist the deep laugh that bubbled out of her.  Once again, she found herself crossing the distance between them, grabbing onto Felix’s wrist and half-tugging him out to the courtyard and toward the exit doors.

“Come on,” she ordered, knowing he would not argue.  “I want to show you something.”

* * *

Kagami’s chauffered car slowed to a stop in front of a building Felix did not recognize.  Without a word of explanation or even a glance in his direction, the silent girl grabbed his wrist and, after the door was opened, pulled him out behind her, leading him into the building.

Once inside, Felix looked up and around.  The walls were high and sky blue, with windows up around the borders of the ceiling that allowed natural light to stream in.  It was cold, with tiered seating on either side along the long, rectangular walls, an oblong glass-enclosed structure at the center.  It probably took him half a minute more than it should have for Felix to realize they were in an ice-skating rink.

Kagami still had not let go of his wrist, but had led him to the edges of the rink, fiberglass pressing up against their noses momentarily as they both looked out onto the smooth, flawless ice.

“Adrien brought me here on our first date,” she suddenly blurted, and Felix turned to look at her.  Wisps of blue-black bangs shifted above her eyes, the upturned tip of her nose barely coming into contact with the barrier in front of them.  “Back then,” she went on, focus forward, “I really liked him, even though I knew he didn’t really feel that way about me. In fact, he had told me he liked someone else, but had been unable to catch the girl’s attention.  I just assumed at the time he was talking about Marinette, and I couldn’t figure out how he was so blind not to see her interest in him. My advice was for him to choose a new target.”

Felix looked up to examine the large room, eyes darting about as he listened.  A slight moisture above his lip led him to realize his nose had begun to run, a side effect of the cold temperature of the room, but he ignored it.  Kagami stepped back slightly from the glass, noticing the fog from her breath, and wiping it with the sleeve of her blazer.

“And then, we arrived here.  I really wasn’t expecting Marinette to be there, but she was, and she had come with someone else.  Not unlike that date we all went on a few weeks ago.”

Just the memory made Felix’s heart beat a little harder.  It was the night he kissed Marinette for the first time, the night he could no longer deny to himself the way he felt about her.

“Marinette fell once,” she continued, “clumsy as ever, and even though she was here with someone else, Adrien immediately went to her side.  I was so jealous. How could she get him to come running so easily, without even trying? When the date was over, he told me he couldn’t give up on the girl he liked, even if she kept rejecting him.  I didn’t understand then.”

Finally, Kagami turned to face the man beside her, who had long since ceased to notice anything else around them.

“In reality, what’s been keeping them apart all this time has been one long string of misunderstandings.  But no one else in all that time has ever gotten her attention in the same way. Except you.”

The soft echo of a door slamming registered at the back of Felix’s mind before he noticed in his peripheral vision one of Kagami’s escorts approaching.

“Mademoiselle Tsurugi, we must be going.”

Her deep brown eyes never left Felix’s grey-blue ones.

“You have a chance.  Don’t mess it up.”

* * *

Felix patted the front of his blazer nervously, his hands shaking somewhat as he tried to relax.  His reflection in the mirror only stared back at him, a caricature of calm composure when he knew, in reality, he was an anxious mess inside.

A purely ornamental clock somewhere down the hall chimed a quarter after seven, and, wiping sweaty palms down either side of his legs, he grabbed his watch, his wallet, and his keys, shoving them into his pockets before pulling on the handle of his door with more force than intended.

He didn’t realize someone would, at the same time, be pushing on the other side.

“Hey, Fe-”

Adrien’s voice cut off as he stumbled inward, grip slipping from the knob in his hand as he pitched forward a few steps before finding his balance again, arms spread wide.  Felix instinctively moved aside, watching with confusion as his brother regained his footing.

“Adrien.  What brings you here?”

The younger Agreste looked about for a second, first around the room, and then over Felix’s form, and he swallowed.

“I just..came to remind you we have a joint photoshoot in the morning.  Father wants to use it for a press release about the returned Agreste heir.”

Felix nodded, fully aware of this fact, but unconvinced by his brother’s intentions.

“Is that all?  I must be going now, or I will be late,” he responded, heading for the hall.  “Shut the door on your way out.”

“Felix.”

At the sound of his name, the pale blond stopped, then patiently turned back around.

“Next week.  Our decisive match is next week.  Be ready.”

Felix weighed his words for a moment, tongue coming out to swipe his bottom lip in contemplation.

“I will be ready,” he finally replied.  “Perhaps it is you who should not underestimate me.”

And with that, he spun on his heel and headed toward the front entrance, leaving behind a frustrated and despondent man.

Adrien sighed to himself.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

* * *

Marinette twitched anxiously from her place in the back seat of the Agreste chauffeur vehicle.  Her eyes flickered about the scenery they were passing, trying her best both to figure out where they were going from clues all around her, and to stop her childish need to know what they were going to do.  When Felix showed up at her door punctually at 19:30 exactly, she fell into a flustered mess, almost spilled the tea she was drinking all over the dress she had recently finished, and even nearly walking out the front door with no shoes on.  (If Felix hadn't reminded her to put them on, she would have forgotten completely).

He led her calmly to the car, soft look of fondness shining in his eyes as he held her hand.  When she demurely lowered down to her seat, he gave her a rare small smile, closed the door after her, and walked around to his own side.  She was nervous for more reasons than one. Her dress was a definite contender, though she was less worried it wasn’t a good-looking dress as she was she didn’t look good enough in it.  It had a nude underlay, fitted, that stretched to mid thigh, the perfect hue to match her skin tone. The neck was a deep V-line in both the front and back, with thin, flesh-colored straps over the shoulders.  

The overlap was a champagne colored lace which, though fitted around the bodice, billowed out around the waist in a loose, floor-length skirt. The entirety of it was covered in embroidered vines the color of sage and flowers just a shade or two darker than the lace, almost a blush-like tone, with some in light blue as well.  All about the dress, there were bits of organza embellishments that looked like flower petals. The shoes she chose to match were a blush color as well, with a simple wide heels, one thick strap over the toes, and one around the ankle. She pulled her hair into a bun, with loose tendrils falling on either side of her face. Her makeup was largely simplistic, with pink-toned eyeshadow in varying shades, black cat-eye eyeliner, and a nude colored lipstick.  In Felix’s eyes, she was a masterpiece come to life.

But she was, of course, rather oblivious to this fact, and her distraction wasn’t helped by the conversation she had with her partner not many days before, which was still weighing heavily on her mind.  The thought that he had been so close to her all along infuriated her. She was angry that he never approached her as himself. She was angry at herself for not noticing him. But more than anything, she was angry at the realization that, before recently, she probably wouldn’t have accepted him, anyway.  So, to help redirect her thoughts, she focused as much as she could on _anything_ else, and that anything was currently their destination.

A hand settled on her leg, and she suddenly realized she had been bouncing it.  Surprised by the contact, she turned to face her date, blushing slightly with shame that she was so occupied with thoughts about someone else that she had to focus on everything but the person she was with.

“Sorry,” she said, managing to keep some of the squeak out of her voice.

Felix gave her another small smile, and she finally let herself take in the sight of him.

He was already incredibly easy on the eyes, blessed as he was with those Agreste genes.  His normally slightly messy pale blond hair was slicked back with some sort of product, but it didn’t leave a greasy sheen on his head.  A small lock of hair stubbornly curled on his forehead, but it was actually quite a charming look. It was soft, disarming. He wore a matching navy blue blazer and trousers that somehow managed to bring out the color of his eyes, and a white button-up shirt underneath, sans usual tie.  In fact, his shirt was left open at the top two buttons, and that was slightly dangerous for Marinette. He may not have been as muscular as Adrien or Chat Noir, but Felix was by no means scrawny or gangly. The V of his throat and the curve of his Adam’s apple had the poor girl swallowing.

“Are you all right?”

Marinette, realizing she was staring at his neck, ticked her head up.

“What?”

The corner of his lips twitched.  (Did she never realize before that they were actually quite smooth and full looking?)

“Oh!” she exclaimed, after belatedly understanding his question.  “Yes!” Then, chagrined by her own volume, she grimaced. “Sorry. Yes.  I’m fine. Just a little... nervous.”

Felix grabbed one of the hands she had resting in her lap with his own and intertwined their fingers.  Raising it up, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“Don’t be nervous.  It’s just me.”

Marinette gave him the best, albeit shaky, smile of reassurance she could.

 _I know_.

When they pulled up in front of their destination just a minute or two later, he asked her to close her eyes.  Thus, her entire trip, from exiting the car to embarking on an elevator _somewhere_ , was made blind.  With her hand in his, Felix led her every step of the way, which in reality was only a few minutes.  At last, she heard the elevator doors open, and a fresh gust of air met her face. Once again, Marinette felt herself being led forward, though instead of walking in front and pulling her along, Felix was close behind her, two hands on her waist.

“Ok.  Stop.”

Marinette immediately obeyed, the feel of Felix’s suit brushing against the exposed part of her back when she did.  She could tell he was close. Then his hair began to tickle her neck, and she realized he was leaning in next to her.  A soft breath rustled in her ear.

“Open them.”

She did so on command, the entirety of Paris suddenly in her sights, illuminated by the light of the setting sun.  No matter how many rooftops she had been on and heights she had visited, it still managed to be a view she had never seen.  They were on a rooftop terrace, with tables and chairs all around, empty and waiting for them to choose somewhere to sit.

“I know it is not the Eiffel Tower,” came Felix’s deep voice next to her ear, and she felt his hands release her waist, only for his arms to curl around her instead, his chinning falling to rest on her shoulder.  “But I hope it’s still worthy of my queen.”

The stunned girl tried to turn her head, but couldn’t, so she drew back as much as possible in an effort to see his face.  Noticing her movement, he did the same until they were gazing at each other, necks craned and eyes locked.

Plucking some courage, Marinette leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek.  When she pulled away, she noticed them take on a slight ruddy hue and smiled.

“It’s perfect.”

Just then, the maître d' approached from behind, motioning for the pair to take any table they wished, and they did so gladly.

Neither of them noticed a shadow on a nearby roof, watching them the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I promise, I will continue this fic until it's through, but I absolutely have no idea exactly when or how much longer that will mean!
> 
> As always, please comment and/or leave kudos if you like this fic (and even if you didn't)! I appreciate your feedback so much, positive and negative.
> 
> <3 Muse


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